


Bind Me To You

by S_Nipp



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Attempted Sexual Assault, Bullying, Demon Deals, Demon/Human Relationships, Demons, Drama, F/M, Falling In Love, Forbidden Love, High School, Love, OC, OCs - Freeform, Occult, Romance, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-01-06 08:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 39
Words: 86,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21223334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S_Nipp/pseuds/S_Nipp
Summary: The story of a teenage girl, the contracting that promised her happiness, the price of signing it, and the dark-haired demon who held the key to it all.Avery Hughes is a 17-year-old girl who begins at a new school in a small town, quickly making enemies with the Queen B, Paige. After weeks of relentless bullying, she had almost given up on having a happy high school until she is approached by a boy with a contract. He promises her protection and happiness but at a price. Her time.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am still working on this book so expect more chapters in the near future! 
> 
> If you prefer to read on other sites, you can find this book on:
> 
> Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/SNiipp  
Tapas: https://tapas.io/series/Bind-Me-To-You
> 
> I've also posted the first Six chapters on Tumblr and can post the rest on there if you guys want!  
Tumblr Link: https://s-nipp.tumblr.com/
> 
> Please show some love by leaving a comment or Kudos <3

"Avery! How long do you plan to stay in the shower!" her Mum yells from the other side of the locked bathroom door. Avery sighs, pressing her forehead to the cold hard tiles, letting the water run over her body. She didn't want to go but she couldn't tell her that. Her Mum had enough on her plate already.

Avery watched the rivulets run down her pale legs as she debated claiming to be sick before thinking better of it, she had already had enough "sick days" that her Mum was threatening to take her to a doctor.

With a heavy heart Avery turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself before opening the door with a crooked smile.

"Sorry Mum, got lost in thought..." Her Mum gave a shake of her head and looked over Avery's flushed skin with a critical eye. "Feeling better today?" she inquired, pressing the back of her hand against her daughter's forehead, frowning at the warmth.

Avery carefully batted her hand away and nodded, "Better than ever," she lied.

A small satisfied smile crossed her Mum's face and she pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. "I'm glad, I was starting to worry about how far behind in your studies you were getting". Her eyes connect with Avery's with a gentle smile. Avery knew she meant the best, but right now studies were the least of her worries.

Closing the door Avery turned to the small circular mirror above the sink. I look sickly, she thought, staring at the paleness of her skin and reaching for the hair brush. It had been a couple of weeks now since she had given up on looking presentable for school. Tugging her dirty blonde hair into a pony-tail she took the mascara from her makeup bag and contemplated applying a little before thinking better of it. Nobody will notice anyway.

Avery stared at the girl reflected in her mirror, wondering when the last time she had seen herself smile. The girl in the mirror had deep blue eyes full of sadness and misery. The colour had washed away from her cheeks and she couldn't help but wonder when she started looking so empty. Her fingertips carefully touch the cheek of her reflection. Who is this?

_____

Breakfast was a small bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. She ate as slow as she could, knowing that when she was finished, the bus to school would arrive, and she will have to leave the safety of her home.

"What's up, loser?" Gwen, her sister grumbled as she plopped herself down in the chair opposite Avery. The two were very different. Avery being dainty and blonde, while her sister was plump and dark-haired. Avery studied her, her eyes moving from Gwen's choice of a black band tee to the heavy eyeliner and dark lipstick. After some thought she opted not to reply.

"Avery, Hurry up! The bus will be here any moment, do you want to miss it?" Her Mum complained, hurrying into the kitchen wearing her suit jacket and pencil skirt. "Gwendolyn Hughes, what have I told you about the eyeliner! I keep getting calls from your school" She sighed, switching her attention to her punk daughter.

"I'm not changing who I am, Susan" Gwen retorts, giving her mother a scowl before pulling the half eaten bowl of cereal that Avery had been picking at for the last twenty minutes to herself. "Don't call me that, I am your mother" Susan admonished, hastily snatching her keys from the hook above the kitchen bench before scrambling to the door. Avery sighed, wondering how many more times she would hear the same conversation before one of them would concede.

With the sound of a loud horn, Gwen stood up and slung her black messenger bag over her shoulder, patches and pins covering every inch of fabric. Every morning Gwen's friends would pick her up, leaving Avery to take the bus alone.

"You better not skip today!" she warns, pointing an accusatory finger towards her younger sister, "I'm sick of being forced to go to school while you get to stay home, Ave!". Before Avery could respond Gwen turned on her heel and headed for the door, slamming it behind her.

_____

Avery rubbed her hands together in a poor attempt to generate warmth, wishing that she had thought to grab a jacket. Bitterly cold wind tearing through her, clawing at any exposed skin. She briefly thought about going back to get one and possibly missing the bus to stay home. I could just say I missed it. She shook her head, not wanting to have to see that look of disappointment on her mother's face and deal with the rant from her sister.

It wasn't long until the bus crawled around the corner of her street and came to a groaning stop beside her. The bus was never crowded when she got on. She was one of the first stops on the way to school after all. Avery taps her card as she scrambles onto the bus, finding a seat somewhere in the middle. She wished she could sit closer to the front but some younger students had already taken those spots. They knew that the back was reserved for the bigger kids - the high schooler's.

As the bus continued its journey, more and more students piled on, the back seats remaining empty. They always did, but that would change at the next stop.

The bus shuddered to a stop before the doors swung open. Avery's gaze was drawn to the front of the bus as Ethan Wilson stepped on, scanning his card. Avery had known him during her early years of middle school. She fondly remembers sitting next to him in most of her classes. He disappeared at the beginning of junior high. She hadn't seen him in four years and since then he had grown into a handsome jock. She had a crush on him then, and when she noticed him passing her in the corridor a few days after she had started at West Lakeshore, those feelings came back as though just sitting dormant all those years.

He was tall and tanned, his build muscular and toned. His dark brown hair tangled into curls on top of his head, the locks swaying in front of his bright green eyes.

As he moved through the bus Avery kept her eyes on him. It was obvious to her that he hadn't recognised her. She had grown a lot since then too. She wondered if things would have ended up differently if he had, for better or for worse.

It wasn't until she heard the second beep of a bus pass that her gaze was broken. The tall brunette turned her head to the blonde with an accusatory look, causing Avery to turn to look down at her feet.

Paige was a gorgeous girl. She had long pin-straight hair parted down the centre and large, doll-like green eyes. Her clothing always came with an expensive price tag and seemed to be tailored to her every curve. She was a presence that could not be ignored whenever she entered the room, a picture of angelic beauty, but underneath that was nothing but an empty shell, void of empathy.

Paige was the girl in school that nobody could stand up to without expecting to go through Hell. It was an unspoken law that Ethan was hers, the fact that they were both technically single meant nothing. He wanted to focus on basketball, and she was fine with that but stuck to him like chewing gum.

Avery kept her eyes down as the brunette strode up to where she was sitting, "What's up Avery? You're finally back at school, huh? I haven't seen you all week" She smiled, hiding the true meaning of her words behind her 'nice-girl' facade.

Avery wasn't sure how, but the day after she had first laid eyes on Ethan Wilson word had travelled back to the Queen Bee. Needless to say, Paige was not impressed to hear that someone else was apparently after her man. All Avery did was look at him, she hadn't even considered talking to him. Avery was shy, she couldn't even fathom a conversation with someone as popular as Ethan Wilson. Yet it was all Paige needed to blacklist her.

It started with little things. Finding cruel notes in her locker demanding her to not to talk to Ethan. People roughly bumping into her shoulder as she walked down the halls. The strange looks she was receiving from people she didn't even recognise. Unfortunately, that was only the start of Avery's torment.

The bullying quickly escalated. She started to hear whispers of rumours about her. About how she was a slut in freshman and sophomore year and had slept with over fifty guys before moving to the small town of Lakeshore. That she was involved in a brothel. That she stalked guys that she had a crush on and she would sleep with anyone who asked.

Then it was malicious words and taunts, 'slut', 'whore'. The snide remarks from half-brained jocks and horny teenagers asking 'You wanna fuck, Hughes?', 'Why are you acting like such a prude, everyone knows that you'd beg for it'".

Words turned into actions. Boys smacking her on the arse as she walked down the halls. People assuming they had the right to touch her legs as she tried to take notes. Perhaps the worst of it came from Paige and her posse. The shoving, the hair pulling, kicking. She would find her belongings destroyed or missing if she left them unattended for longer than a second. Yet they never left any obvious marks on her, they were smarter than that.

Avery couldn't remember the last night that she didn't receive a horrible message from strangers on the internet. She didn't know what she hated more; the horrible requests for her to commit suicide or the uncomfortably sexual messages from guys she couldn't even recognise the name of. It had been a month since then.

Avery stayed silent, not wanting to respond to the brunette's question, her eyes slowly glancing up to the brunettes face. Paige's smile was sickeningly sweet. As far as Avery had deduced, she kept her true nature away from the tanned jock. After all he was far different than her - smart and kind. If he knew the truth, Avery doubted he would keep her around. But nobody would dare tell her secret.

Avery managed to give the brunette a faint smile, knowing that Paige wouldn't ever do or say anything to tarnish her 'nice girl' persona with Ethan so close by. With this she seems pleased, "I'm glad. See you in class then!" she smiles, turning to walk to the back of the bus and take her seat next to her jock.


	2. Chapter 2

Avery always waited to be the last person to leave the bus. Prolonging the amount of time she had to spend inside the walls of West Lakeshore High was all she could do. Ethan walked past her seat first, followed closely by Paige. As Paige turns to exit the bus, the smile that she had held earlier was now nowhere to be seen, replaced with a disgusted scowl as she looked towards the blonde still seated next to the window. Avery simply looked down. By now you would think she would be used to seeing that expression, but that was far from the case.

Avery stared out of the bus window. She wasn't ready to face the crowd of strangers who all looked at her with the same eyes. Disgust, pity, loathing. Each pair of eyes brought with it a heaviness that weighed in her stomach, building up over the weeks to make her feel as though she was hauling around weights on her ankles and wrists. She felt trapped when she was in those walls, surrounded by shadows that haunted her.

She was never in a hurry to get to class. She had no friends here and she wasn't given much of a chance to make any before she became Paige's target. Nobody was waiting for her, nobody but the silhouettes of people that were ready to make her feel worthless and alone.

The door to her locker was wide open as she reached it. Books scattered over the concrete hallway floor. Despite Avery's best efforts she felt tears begin to pool in her eyes again as she bent down to begin gathering her items. As she reached for her Physics book, a heeled boot came down, trapping it on the ground.

"What's up Avie-Wavie" Paige taunted as she ground Avery's book into the floor. Avery raised her gaze to look at Paige's chin, not daring to meet her eyes. "Dropped your stalking notes?". Addison; Paige's best friend and captain of the soccer team, gave a throaty laugh as she began kicking at the pages that covered the floor, sending them flying up in a whirlwind.

Avery remained silent and began to pick up her other books, carefully avoiding Paige and Addison's feet. A heel quickly came down on her knuckles and a small screech of pain erupted past her lips. She looked up at Paige and saw that her expression had twisted into a foul scowl.

"Are you ignoring me, you bitch?" She growled, putting all of her weight onto her toes and twisting her boot back and forth. Avery winced, trying not to let her bully get what she wants - tears and begging. "Paige, the bell's going to go" Addison says, nudging the brunette's elbow. Paige huffs, "See you later, slut". The click of their heels filled the halls as the duo quickly retreated, the sound of the first bell filling the halls after them.

The small crowd that had gathered around the scene slowly began to disperse. Avery always wondered why nobody ever tried to step in. Was she really that worthless of an existence that nobody felt the need to help her? A sob escaped her lips as she dropped the books that she had collected back onto the concrete floor, her hands lifting to cover her face as she cried.

She had already regretted all of the missed opportunities to stay home. She wasn't ready to face this again after a week of playing sick. It was too much. The small glimmer of hope that maybe things would be different fizzled out like a flame reduced to embers. A week away from this nightmare had changed nothing. 

_____

The look on Miss Edal's face as Avery slunk into religion five minutes after the bell had rung was one of disappointment and exhaustion. Avery was ready for her to say something but the teacher simply sighed and continued on with her lesson.

"Can someone please tell me whether the archangel Michael plays a role in the process of passing from this world to the next?" She asks as Avery takes a seat at an empty desk towards the front of the class. "Anyone?" The teacher loudly asserts, leaning against her desk with an inquisitive expression.

"No", She answers, "The bible says nothing about his involvement with this kind of 'Grim Reaper' role. However..." she begins, strolling across the front of the classroom, "Other religions such as Judaism suggests that there is a specific entity that plays this role. The 'Angel of Death' - Azrael. Although, this name cannot be found in the bible, and there is no mention of any other entity with a similar role".

This information isn't received with much interest from the class. Regardless, Miss Edal continues on her rant about the various roles that Michael was written to have been apart of, including the names of numerous spiritual battles and commandments of God.

Avery was never really one to believe in God, angels or anything else spiritual. Although, she enjoyed reading about their existence and had an expansive knowledge of the bible and its teachings. If God really existed she wondered why he would put her through this pain, why he wouldn't stop it. She would believe then.  
_____

When the bell sounded two hours later, Avery was ready to follow her usual lunch time routine - hiding in some crevice of the school hoping that she can at least eat in peace. "Avery," Miss Edal called as class ended. She already knew what this would be about.

The assignment she had turned in before she went on her week long hiatus was sub-par at best. Miss Edal gives Avery a concerned look as the blonde approached her desk, dropping a sloppily stapled together assignment with the disappointing result of 38/100 in front of her.

Avery's eyes drop to the floor and she muttered a half-hearted apology. "I know that you have been away due to illness for the past week but is there any particular reason that your work has been at this level?" She asks, tilting her head to attempt to glance at Avery's eyes. Avery had no answer for her.

"I am very concerned about this. On the quiz I handed out at the start of the year you scored the highest in class - I was expecting great things from you?" She continues. With a guilty twist of her hands Avery gave a small nod. She was always at the top of her class in freshman and sophomore, she did well in a majority of subjects and would often earn praise from her teachers.

Ms Edal's small boney fingers rose to gently twist around Avery's wrist, a pleading look in her expression. "You know you can tell me anything right, Avery?". Avery could do nothing but give another small nod, refusing to meet the teachers eyes.

Avery didn't feel like she could talk to anybody about her issues with bullying. Not because she didn't think that it would stop, no, but because she didn't want to cause her mother trouble. It had been a stressful month post-move. While her work paid well, her mum put in long stressful hours to provide for her daughters as their only guardian. It was the first time in a few years that her family had financial stability. She didn't want to complain, especially when her mum was going through so much more.

"I'm sorry Miss, It's just been...a difficult adjustment here" A half lie that Avery knew wouldn't be questioned. With a frown Miss Edal removes her hands, bringing them down to sit in her lap, and turning back to face her computer, "Well then, you know where to find me".

_____

There were two places Avery would never visit during lunch time. The first was the cafeteria. Each table was claimed by a specific clique - the jocks, popular girls, punks, stoners. None of which she could belong to. Not to mention, wanting to avoid being anywhere near Paige and her posse.

The second were the toilets. The toilets were a lawless territory. No teacher ever entered the student toilets and so they were the perfect place for illegal activity and rule breaking. Avery knew this first hand, and had vowed to only enter the toilets during class time when she absolutely had to.

Her go to spot was the grassy area near the basketball court and sports oval. There was always a teacher patrolling there, so even if she was harassed it would never be that bad. She sat down, pulling out a small sketchbook she kept in her bag most of the time. She hadn't brought any food, making lunch was the last thing on her mind this morning. Though, it wasn't like she hadn't gone all day without eating before.

She flicked through the first few pages of her book. She enjoyed realism and tended to sketch the faces of the people around her for practise. Not so surprisingly, a recurring face sketched in messy pencil was Ethan Wilson. She smiled at the image, flipping to a fresh page before looking up to decide what she wanted to sketch.

She scanned the school grounds before her eyes settled on a peculiar looking guy that she had never seen before. She could only just make him out, leaning against the wall of one of the buildings. Her first thought was how strange he looked in a high-school setting.

He was tall and looked toned. He had a head of messy black curls. He wore a plain black shirt and a pair of dark jeans that seemed to cling to his body before vanishing into his boots. She noted the dark tattoos that curled up from his wrists and disappeared beneath the sleeves of his tight shirt. She wondered what kind of family he must have to have that many tattoos at this age, what kind of person he would be.

As she stared at him he slowly glanced up, his eyes settling on her. Avery's body clenched as his hands slipped into his pockets. For a moment she had forgotten to breathe and let out a long slow breath as the pair locked eyes. Quickly she looked away, reaching to brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she calmed her breathing. What was that feeling? It felt like a pressure had formed in her stomach. Like a feeling of both panic and intimidation mixed together. A few moments passed and Avery looked back but was surprised to find that he had disappeared.

For the rest of lunch she couldn't get the image of him out of her head. She hadn't seen anyone like that in school for the few weeks she had been there. She would have noticed if he had passed her in the halls, it would have been impossible for her not to. It wasn't until the end of lunch that she realised that she had scribbled his face into her sketchbook, leaning against the wall with messy curls covering his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Avery sat at a desk in science waiting for the teacher to appear. She slowly pulled out her books and stationary, ready to attempt to take notes. It was obvious that she was an outsider. Each of the three-person desks began to slowly fill only for the desk she was sitting at to stay empty.

She would have preferred that it remained that way when a boy she was quite familiar with sat beside her, Aiden, followed by his friend William.

Aiden was a shorter guy who was tall and lean. He didn't have much in the way of muscles, and because of his lack of weight his cheeks looked hollowed. His dark brown hair was always greasy and unbrushed. His clothes always had some kind of stain on them, and whenever he was close by you could always tell with the strong smell of cigarette smoke or marijuana.

Avery's hands clenched uncomfortably into fists as she shifted her chair as close to the edge of the desk as she could, opting to stop breathing as the inescapable smell of cigarette smoke assaulted her nose.

"You're finally back, babe" Aiden began with a smug look as he moved his chair closer to her. He turned to his friend with a look of amusement, and William grinned back at him giving him a nod of encouragement.

Aiden turned back to the blonde, his lips parting as his tongue snaked out to lick the corner of his mouth with a lecherous smirk. He looked Avery up and down, the familiar look of a half-brained pervert that couldn't take a hint.

"How about you meet me after school for some... fun?". Avery shuddered at the thought, disgust flooding her system. Aiden was known as a licentious arsehole. He would hit on anything that could move, make uncomfortable remarks and thought that females were nothing but a vagina with legs. The day that Avery would go anywhere with Aiden, would be the day she killed him personally. 

Avery ignored his question, placing her balled fists in her lap and refusing to look in his direction. This must have annoyed him because Aiden sighed, leaning into her personal space, "Come on, babe, we all know that you'll open your legs for anyone" his irritated tone caused a shudder to run through Avery.

When she continued to ignore him she hoped that that would be the end of it. Most people would have taken the hint by that point, but then she felt his fingertips run a line across her upper thigh. His skin felt like static against hers, sending waves of discomfort throughout her being.

She slapped his hand away and leapt out of her seat, her body shaking from his touch. The seat banged against the table behind her, causing the entire room to turn to her and the brown haired boy. She couldn't believe his nerve, how he clearly didn't even think of her as a human being with the right to ignore his comments - to say 'no'. She stared at him with horror in her eyes, her lip quivering as she held back the screamed words that echoed through her.

Aiden looked surprised by her reaction, looking her up and down like she had suddenly became the most hideous thing he had ever seen in his life. Tears came to Avery's eyes but she tried to shove them back down when she looked around, noticing that all eyes were now on her.

"Gross" Aiden proclaimed, leaning back in his chair, "I would never pay someone like you for sex. What are you a prostitute now?".

Avery's face scrunched into disgusted resentment before she snatched up her bag strap, swinging it over her shoulder. She gathered the books and stationary on the desk in her hands hastily before taking one last moment to glare at the repulsive being that had done such horrible things, and the class that bore witness to it yet did nothing. With a huff Avery turned to run towards the door.

_____

She found herself walking down the school hallway. She had no particular destination, but she knew that she wanted to be as far away from that science classroom as possible. Where should I go? Avery didn't want to leave, nor did she want to stay in the halls when teachers would be patrolling for people skipping their classes.

With a sigh Avery turned her attention back to the corridor but her stride was broken as she recognised a figure at the end of the hall. It was the boy that she had seen at lunch, Mr dark hair and tattoos. She watched him as the same feeling began to well in her chest. It felt as though there was a pressure building in her lungs, her breath hitched as her heart began to pound. For a moment he just stood there, his back to Avery, staring at the lockers to the right of him with a quirked eyebrow.

She was frozen. She didn't understand why this stranger was making her feel such an intense feeling within herself. Avery took a step towards him, her mind suddenly drawing a blank as a force that felt so natural took over her body, willing her towards him. His head turned as he looked over his shoulder, dark hair shading his eyes as he watched her take another step in his direction.

Avery couldn't explain why she felt so drawn to him, but it felt so right. It was when her lips parted to call out to him that he turned on his heel, disappearing out of sight down another corridor at the end of the hall. 

The magnetic attraction that she felt towards him quickly faded and she was left with an emptiness in the pit of her stomach. She brought her hand to her chest, realising that her hands were shaking. Who are you?

_____

Avery had opted to lock herself in the stall of the bathroom for the remainder of the period. She didn't want to risk getting caught in the halls during class time and be sent back into that room full of piercing eyes and disgusted looks.

Avery sat on the toilet seat as memories from two weeks earlier unwillingly began to play in her mind. Being shoved against the cold tiles of the toilet wall, her school bag taken and thrown into the toilet. That was the day that she had learned never to use the bathroom as a place to hide.

The fear of the toilets was far less strong during class time. The chances that Paige would find her locked in a stall was significantly lower. Nobody saw her come in, and nobody would be looking for her. Or that was what Avery had thought.

Avery hadn't noticed that someone else had entered the bathroom until she heard her name being called, "Avie-wavie... are you here?" The familiar voice echoed through the stalls. Avery raised her hands to cover her mouth, muffling a gasp. She felt her heartbeat pick up as she tucked her feet onto the small toilet seat so that they couldn't be seen from under the door. How did she know?

"Are you in here sweety-pie?" Paige's sing-song voice called out, followed by the bang of a stall to the left of Avery. She silently thanked God that she had chosen the toilet furthest from the door as she heard the second bang. "I don't think she's in here..." Paige's bodyguard grumbles, "Did Aiden say that she hid here??". Of course.

Paige sighed, her footsteps receding to the sinks on the other side of the room. Avery let a breath of silent relief escape her. "No, he just said that she ran out of class and didn't come back. I figured she would be hiding in here" Paige explains, taking her small makeup bag from her purse, unzipping it to take out her lipstick, "Doesn't matter, I can still fix up my makeup now. Hughes would've just been a bonus".

Addison laughed as Paige twisted the tube before bringing the soft pink lipstick to her lips. Avery brought her hands down from her mouth, realising that their search for her was over. She reminded herself to never hide in the toilets again. She hadn't realised that Paige had her minions planted all over the school, this experience will teach her otherwise.

"By the way Paige, how are you and Ethan? I've been meaning to ask but Sadie hasn't left us alone all day..." Addison grumbled, leaning against the wall beside the sink. Paige gave a hum, smacking her lips together before twisting the lipstick closed, placing the lid back on and throwing it back in her bag, "I know right, she's such an attention whore, I can't stand her". Paige sighed, trying to decide how to reply to the first half of her friends question, "I don't know" she continues "he never really shows that much interest in me... you know... sexually" she mutters.

"Well aren't you planning to try and kiss him at the party this weekend?" Addison added, genuinely sounding curious. Paige took a moment to answer, zipping the make up bag shut as she placed it back in her purse, "I'll try, but it doesn't matter because he will be mine eventually" she grinned.

The brunette put her hand in her purse, quickly finding her phone as she pulled it from her bag. The studded case glittered in the fluorescent stones. Slowly a grin crawled onto her cheeks as she looked at Addison with cruel amusement, "You know what would be funny" Paige began, her tone laced with sadistic humour, "Let's text that bitch, Avery".

"Ooo! What are you gonna say" Addison laughed, bouncing over to Paige's side. "Take a look" she smirked as the quiet taps of her typing filled the toilet, punctuated by the unmistakable sound of a message being sent.

There was a moment of silence before a loud DING erupted from inside Avery's bag. Her eyes widen in horror as she realised that she had forgotten to put her phone on silent this morning before school. She hadn't been at school for a week and never received messages during the day; it had just slipped her mind.

Panicked silence falls over Avery as she screwed her eyes shut, hoping, praying that they would ignore the sound. Please God, if you really exist, please. Please!

The heels of Paige's shoes clicked against the tiles as she strode towards the sound. The creak of the toilet seat in the neighbouring stall startled Avery as she looked up just in time to see Paige's smug face appear above her. "Oh look who we have here" Paige mused, her lips curling into a cheshire grin. "Who is it?" Addison pretended to enquire from her place at the sinks.

Paige snickered as she turned to her friend, "It's our favourite friend, Avie-wavie" she announced. At this Addison's expression changed to match that of Paige and Avery heard the click of her shoes approaching the stall.

BANG!

The stall door shook from the impact. "You thought you could just eavesdrop on us, stalker?" Addison hissed from the other side of the stall door. Paige giggled and turned back to Avery who cowered below her, "I can handle this Addy, but first can you pass me the Gatorade in your bag, I'm parched' she exaggerated. Addison's lips curved up knowingly before following the brunette's instruction.

"I'm so happy to see you again. I thought we had scared you off," Paige began, "We missed you so much Avie-wavie..." She sings, her fake friendly tone echoing against the bathroom walls. "It just hasn't been the same without you" Addison agreed as Paige leant down to take the half-full Gatorade bottle from her. The pair exchanged winks before Paige sat the bottle at the top of the stall wall, letting Avery see it.

Avery could do nothing but stare up at the brunette. She had nowhere to go. She couldn't leave the stall, if she did whatever was about to happen would probably be far worse. While she was locked in, they were locked out.

"Why don't you come on out so I can give you a warm welcome back?" Paige suggested, "I mean, I have so much time I have to make up for... you know?" Paige continued, twisting off the lid and bringing the gatorade to her lips.

SPLASH

The blue liquid fell from above Avery like a waterfall, showering over her head, clothes and bag. Avery shuddered as a trail of Gatorade ran from her hair down to her face. She was stuck in a state of shock, unable to move with her arms hovering outstretched at her sides.

"Oops, Sorry about that" Paige shrugged as Addison exploded into laughter outside of the stall. Avery didn't raise her head to look at her bully, nor did she reply. She knew that anything she said would bring pleasure to the girl above her. "Blue suits you though, matches your eyes!" She says with a fake-friendly smile and laughed along with Addison.

Paige stepped down from the toilet, disappearing from Avery's sight. "Listen up, slut" Paige's voice called from the other side of the door, "It only gets worse from here on out'' With that, the click of high heels moved away from the stall, getting quieter as the girls left Avery alone in the toilet, laughter echoing throughout the room until the bang of the toilet door left her in silence.

The slam of the door seemed to sink a certain feeling of finality into Avery. Slowly, as if the world would shake apart if she rushed, she brought all her limbs into a tight ball, tucking her head into her knees. Avery pressed a clenched fist against her mouth as loud sobs racked her body, punctuated by hiccups and gasps for breath. She pressed her forehead against her knees, ignoring the sticky sensation that followed the action as she cried.

Why did I ever decide to come back to this Hell?


	4. Chapter 4

Avery stayed in the toilet for the next two hours until the sound of the lunch bell rang loudly throughout the school. By the time she had stopped sobbing the gatorade had dried into her hair and clothing. Her tears had helped to wash away the blue stain from the majority of her face. The white sweater that she had decided to wear today was ruined, not even her mother could remove the dried in stains from the drink.

As Avery lifted herself from the toilet seat she could feel what was left of the blue liquid yet to dry sticking her sweater to her chest. She had stopped crying long ago but her eyes were still red and puffy.

Before exiting the toilet she turned on the sink to splash some cold water against her face. She couldn't believe the redness that remained after she had stopped crying over an hour ago. Tears welled in her eyes as she wondered how many more days she would have to endure this torment. The joy that previously sparkled in her eyes was now extinguished.

When Avery heard the creak of the bathroom door she quickly turned the tap off, scrubbing the tears from her eyes before heading towards the door. She kept her head down but this didn't stop the girls from stepping aside, looking Avery up and down from the stained blue sweater to her dry crusty hair.

Stepping past them she heard them whisper to each other, "Isn't that the girl who was hitting on Aiden?", "That's disgusting" they both giggled. Avery's tears returned as she clenched her fists at her sides, shoving the door open as she quickly walked into the busy hall.

People around her turned silent as their sights set on her. "I wonder what happened to her?", "Isn't that Avery Hughes?", "Maybe someone caught her with their boyfriend". Some people laughed as they saw her, others stared, some gave her pitying looks before turning their backs. She kept her eyes down as she hastily headed for the entrance of the school.

Avery wasn't going to stay, not when she didn't have a change of clothes. She had only waited for it to be lunch so that it would be easier to leave without being noticed. Now, hearing the snickers of the shadows in the hallway, she had wished that she hadn't sat in tears on the cold sticky toilet seat and let the blue dry into her skin and clothes.

Suddenly Avery felt her forehead hit something solid and she stumbled back, almost falling backwards before a gentle grip took her arm, stabilising her. Avery mumbled a quick apology before trying to walk past. The grip on her upper arm tightened as the person softly tugged her back."You're soaked in... what's this...?" The stranger began, leaning down to get a closer look at the blue stains on Avery's sweater. She glances up, catching the bright green eyes of Ethan Wilson as he gave her a soft smile, "Gatorade?" he concluded. His voice was deep but it had a calming effect on her, he looked genuinely concerned for her.

Being able to see the blonde's expression Ethan's lips set into a deep frown, "Have you been crying?". Avery was lost for words as she stared up into the emeralds that looked at her with such a tender gaze and she felt all of the sadness that had been welling inside her begin to boil up.

"I- I..." She stutters as tears began to fill her eyes again, one escaping to roll down her cheek. Ethan's eyes softened as he gently reached down to brush his thumb under her eye, brushing the tear off her cheek, "What happened?".

"It's..." She begins, her eyes shifting to the tall figure that had walked up behind the tall jock. Paige brushes her long brown hair over her shoulder as she crossed her arms, her jaw tightening in disgust. 

Avery glanced back up to Ethan and her nose crinkled, swallowing the saliva that had built in her throat, "It's nothing, please excuse me". Avery pulls her arm from Ethan's grip as she brushes past him, hurrying past Paige who simply glared at her.

Avery took a deep breath, knowing that this accidental encounter was going to bring hell upon her in the near future. Avery quickly shoved her way through the crowd as she remembered the kindness in Ethan's eyes and the way it brought up so much emotion in her. She had been longing for someone to look at her like that for so long, but it happened to be the one person that she could never keep by her side.

It wasn't until the doors came into view that she stopped to turn back to see if anyone had come after her. She thought for a moment, that perhaps she was the protagonist of some horrible romance, and that Ethan would run after her. That he would take her hand and tell her that he would protect her. Life wasn't a fairy tale though, was it?

Who she saw instead, standing in the midst of the crowded hallway was not Ethan, but the boy with the curly hair and tattoos. He stood unmoving amongst the chaos that was the bustling hallways of high school. People seemed to blur around him.

His lips slowly extended into a smile so soft that Avery was reminded of the way Ethan had looked at her and she felt her heart lift from the pit of her stomach and began to pound in her chest. The tears that she had pushed back, returning once again as she stared at the stranger. With a nod he turned, walking back into the chaos of the school, being swallowed by the waves of students around him before he disappeared. Please don't go.

_____

An uncomfortable forty minute walk later and Avery finally arrived home. After a quick shower she threw herself onto her bed. Her wet hair was thrown up into a messy bun, still smelling faintly of Gatorade under her conditioner. Avery had managed to scrub most of the blue from the skin that she couldn't hide under clothes, and threw away the spoiled white sweater, hoping that the blue would come out of the jeans in the wash.

Unexpectedly, it wasn't Ethan and her moment with him in the hallway that was the first thing to cross her mind. It was the mysterious dark haired boy that had appeared in front of her. It was the way he had smiled at her so delicately that he was able to bring the tears back to her eyes and lift her heart out of her stomach. It was the way she felt such a strong magnetic pull towards him when she had seen him in the corridor, the way her body had willed her to approach him.

She had never felt such a strong connection with someone in her life, especially someone that she didn't even know the name of. As the memories came back to her, her heart began to pound in her chest and she brought her hands up to clench the material of her shirt, What is this feeling?

Avery stared at the ceiling of her room, recalling the image of him standing motionless as he smiled at her. Her cheeks brightening to a soft pink before she shook her head, shoving the image out of her mind.

Ding!

Avery's phone sounded from the front pocket of her bag and she turned her attention to the small pastel pink backpack she had left beside her bed, the top now stained a faded purple. She rolled over, reaching for the front pocket and taking out her phone.

She screen lit up revealing Paige's name with two unread messages. Avery sighed, contemplating whether it would be worth looking at the horrible message that was undoubtedly waiting for her.

With a heavy heart Avery opened the chat, the first was the message that had gotten her caught in the bathroom stall;

We know you left class, slut. You better hope we don't find you

The second was exactly what Avery had expected to hear after the incident in the hall with Ethan;

I'm going to make you want to kill yourself for touching him.

Avery threw her phone onto the mess of blankets at the end of her bed, bringing her hands to her face as she considered all of the horrible things Paige could do to her, none of which she could stop.

_____

Avery had spent her afternoon sat at her desk, sketching into her small sketchbook, and before she knew it time had flown by.

Gwen stopped by Avery's door when she noticed her younger sister sitting at her desk, pencil in hand. "What the fuck, Ave? Did you even go to school?" She grumbled. Since Gwen was also dropped home by friends, she would always arrive home before Avery.

Avery turned to her sister, not having thought about the lie she would tell her family. She knew that she couldn't tell the truth because Gwen would surely tell their mum. "I wasn't feeling well so-"

"That is some BULLSHIT, Ave! So unwell that you can walk forty minutes home from school?? sure!" she yelled, stomping down the hallway to her room, "I'M TELLING SUSAN!". For an 18 year old she sure acts like a child.

Avery turned back to her sketchbook, Gwen's threat having very little impact on her. Her mum probably already knows that she skipped some classes, the school definitely didn't mess around when it came to reporting absences.

Avery looks over the sketches that she had just spent the last two hours drawing, the page littered with sketches of the dark haired boy. At the centre was a sketch of him standing in a crowded hall, dark curls covering his eyes and a gentle smile defining him. She hadn't been able to get him out of her mind, and she enjoyed sketching his unusual features. Whoever he was.

_____

At dinner Gwen was quick to snap about Avery having skipped school again today. Mum responded with disappointment, having already received a call from the school as she was leaving from work. Avery could do nothing but give her the same answer she gave Gwen. She felt guilty about having left school halfway through the day but she couldn't fathom going to classes sticky and uncomfortable on top of the horrible stares and snickers.

Having claimed to be sick all week, her mum was understanding but still disappointed and concerned. It was unlike her 'good' child to be skipping so much school, however Avery had never faked sickness in all her years of middle school so her mum could do nothing but sigh and let it go. Gwen stood up in a rage and stomped away to her room.

After suggesting a doctors appointment and being shut down for the fifth time this past week, Susan could do nothing but give Avery a defeated look. "It's okay Mum..." Avery began, mustering the most genuine smile that she could "I promise today was the last day, I think I just overreacted. I've missed too much already. '' This seemed to be enough for her Mum who simply nodded and stood up to collect the dishes.

Avery helped her mum dry the dishes, listening to her speak about her new work environment and how crazy and busy it has been for her. Avery was genuinely happy for her, it had been a while since she had seen her mum so stressed, excited and motivated since the divorce. After a quick hug, Avery left her mum to head upstairs.

She laid in bed with a book in her hands. She enjoyed reading because it would take her out of his hellish reality, even if only for the moment. She didn't realise how late it was until she saw the hallway lights turn off meaning that her mum was off to bed. She turned to the bedside table, the red number of her alarm clock reading 10:34pm. Avery closed the book, making sure to mark the page that she was up to before sitting the book on the side table and reaching to turn off the lamp on her table.

Ding.

Avery's attention turned to her phone that sat on her bedside table, now illuminated. Unread message from 'Az. B'. She didn't recognise the name - another guy with some kind of disgusting sexual message? She decided to ignore the message, turning off the lamp and turning over and to tuck herself under the covers.

Ding.

Avery glanced back at the phone as the screen lit up again, this time illuminating the bedroom ceiling. '2 unread messages from Az. B'. Avery contemplated whether it would be worth checking. The message would likely just end up being a cruel joke from Paige or an 'anonymous' bully. She didn't want to have to sleep having horrible thoughts swirling in her mind. She could check it in the morning.

Ding.

Avery wrinkled her nose as she reached for the phone, gazing at the three unread messages before curiosity beckoned her to check them. She unlocked the phone, entering her messenger app. The profile photo for this 'Az' person was just pitch black. It really did seem like a fake profile. Regardless, Avery taps on the message.

"I have noticed that you have been having a hard time recently"

"I could help you"

"I could protect you"

Avery's face screwed up in confusion as she stares at the words. She moved into a seated position, leaning against the backboard of the bed, rereading the messages over and over.

Ding.

"You shouldn't have to see yourself in the mirror and wonder when you last smiled"

Avery parts her lips as her eyes widened, shock and confusion settling in her chest. How did they know? Did they just guess that she had had these thoughts? They couldn't have just known this, there was no way.

Avery brought the phone to her lips, staring into the darkness of her room as though it would give her an answer. Who is this person? She brought the screen back down to her lap as her fingers typed a quick response.

"Who are you?"

Ding.

The response was almost instantaneous.

"Who I am is not important, it's how I can help you that is"

Avery squinted her eyes,

"Then how?"

Ding.

"All you need to do, is make a deal with the devil."

Those words took her back. What did they mean by; 'a deal with the devil?'. Avery's fingers gripped the phone, unsure of how she was supposed to respond to that. The very idea of 'making a deal with the devil' didn't sound appealing. She shook her head as she typed her response;

"I don't understand"

Ding.

"I can't explain everything like this. I would like to meet with you, would that be okay?"

What? Avery let her phone drop on her lap as she took a deep breath. Who could this stranger possibly be? I'm almost certain this is some sort of joke. If someone really wanted to help me then why are they appearing now - surely they had noticed before today. Avery's realistic thinking couldn't get past the fact that in all likelihood, this was exactly what she thought, some sort of joke on her. If she agreed to meet with them it could all be a trap. Paige did say that she would make her want to kill herself.

However, what if it really was someone who wanted to help? If it isn't a joke and someone actually wants to help... Avery was quick to remind herself that nobody wanted to help her. If it is, and I don't at least agree...

Perhaps it was the fact that she hadn't had this sense of hope in a couple of weeks, but she found herself staring at the message, her fingers tapping out a response before hovering over the send button.

"How can I trust you?"

The words felt so heavy in her heart. No response could make the anxiety that was building in her chest disappear. No response could make her believe that whoever this was had no malice towards her. She had nobody on her side all these weeks and a stranger expected her to trust them enough to meet them?

Ding.

"Trust the feeling that you had when you met me."

Avery felt that familiar pounding of her heart as she was brought back to the moment she had in the corridor. To the magnetic pull that she felt. To the dark curls and tattoos that smiled at her so delicately. Is it...?

Avery struggled to hush the thumping of her heart, the feeling echoing through her as her fingers cautiously typed her response.

"When will we meet?"

Ding.

"I will come to you. Thank you for trusting me, Avery."


	5. Chapter 5

Avery wasn't exactly sure why she had awoken but the thundering of her heart and cold sweat rolling down her spine made it clear that it wasn't for any pleasant reason. With quivering hands she covered her face and turned to tuck her head into her knees, slowly trying to ease her laboured breaths.

Icy cold air whispered between her lips as she gasped for breath, numb digits pressing tightly against her frozen cheeks. Had she left the window open? There was no way that her room should be as cold as it was. With trembling hands she curled her self tighter into a ball, staring at the shadowed wall next to her and trying to make sense of her sudden panic.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned over to face the open expanse of her room. The cream walls seemed caverness in the darkness, stretching on for eons as shadows consumed them. Her eyes slowly scanned the dark room, breath catching over shapes in the darkness before rational thought reasoned that it was simply a jacket hung over a chair or a forgotten teddy.

It wasn't until her eyes found a small red light near her desk that her eyes stopped their search. It couldn't be her computer or TV since she always turned her electronics off before bed. She stared at the foreign light before gasping when it suddenly shifted and moved.

Horrified she watched as the shape, unfurled itself. Shifting and growing taller in the darkness until the red light turned into the eye of a shadowed figure.

Her throat was dry and her eyes welled up in terrified tears as she attempted to make a sound, any sound at all as the long figure began towards her. Soft puffs of air escaped her mouth in place of screams, in place of cries for help as the imposing figure stood in the darkness.

She blinked, wondering if this could just be a dream, all just a dark part of her imagination. It wasn't until he spoke that she realised that there was, in fact, someone standing in her room.

"You don't need to be afraid, Avery" His voice was low and calm.

His words only made panic rise within her, yet she couldn't scream, she couldn't move. The dim light from the moon shining through the curtains outline his silhouette. His hands were clasped at his waist in front of him, he wore a dark suit, a pendant with a large black rock dangling from a thick chain in front of his tie. His eyes shone a crimson red in the darkness.

"I know this must be strange for you, but I'm not here to hurt you. I can help you".

At his sentence, the messages she had received earlier that night had came back to her; 'I can help you', 'I can protect you', 'all you would need to do, is make a deal with the devil'.

The shadow man took another step forward, moonlight from the window washing over his face and exposing him, "I'm glad that you have calmed down. I'm Azrael" He states, his hands moving from his waist to his pockets as he relaxes into a comfortable stance, looking at the frightened young girl before him.

Avery couldn't believe what she was seeing. The strangers dark curls hooded his left eye, the other peaking through a bright crimson red. The sides of his hair were short, displaying the small stretchers in each of his ear lobes. This was the first time Avery was seeing him up close. She hadn't noticed the small metal piercing hooked through the end of his eyebrow from afar, or the small mole that dotted his cheek just below his eye. Nor did she notice how incredibly sharp his jaw was, and how dangerously plush his lips looked.

Avery let out a short breath as her eyes travelled down his body. The tattoos breaching the top of his collar looked like vines that weaved up his neck, disappearing behind his ears. What looked like black flames peeked from the cuffs of his suit. She recognised these features immediately - it was him, the person she had subconscious sketched at lunch. The guy who smiled at her and brought a sense of calm to her horrible day.

Avery immediately felt a rush of calmness come over her. It made no sense at all, having a strange man in her room in the middle of the night yet she was beginning to feel safe. All that came to her mind was the question that she had wanted the answer to since she first laid eyes on him, who are you?

Perhaps it was the fact that this face felt so familiar to her. He had been her muse, the features that defined him had been replicated from the end of her pencil. Perhaps it was how his voice brought a feeling of comfort, that feeling of pressure that she had felt had evaporated, leaving her a sense of calm.

Avery slowly moves, shifting into a sitting position, her hands clasped at her chest as she felt her heartbeat slowing. "A-Az... a-as in..." She mutters, her eyes glancing to the phone she had left sitting on the bed side table, "But thats...".

A small smile graced Azrael's features, although the attempt at a comforting gesture looked more like an amused grin.

"Impossible, yeah. I've heard that one before" He chuckled, reaching up to scratch the back of his head as he nonchalantly turns to sit on the end of her bed. He takes a moment to glance around the room - at the desk with sketches pinned to the board above it. At the odd cleanliness.

"The next question they usually have is 'what do you want?' or 'why are you here?'" He sighs and leans himself back on the bed, resting his body weight on his arms. Azrael turns his attention back to Avery, looking over his shoulder. He grinned at her, the same smile that she had seen numerous times that day, "I'm a demon, and I'm here to make a contract with you".

Avery's nose crinkled at the dark stranger on her bed, confusion washing through her whole body as she inched herself back against the headboard of her bed.

"D-Demon?" she managed to stutter.

Avery found it hard to believe. Every part of her wanted to refuse this, regardless of the bright red eye that seemed to stare right through her.

Azrael pursed his lips, "It does sound pretty fake doesn't it?" he mused. Avery didn't say anything, yet the look of pure disbelief was enough of an answer for Azrael.

He sighed, realising that a simple explanation would not suffice in this situation. "I'm here because you need help. You want help. I can provide that for you - I can make all the bad things disappear" he says, raising his hands in a large, mocking gesture.

Avery leant forward, his words bringing something from within her that she had been longing to feel - hope. "But why... me? Why now?" She objected. She was finding it close to impossible to believe him, but he intrigued her. Despite his demonic claim, Azrael came off charming. Almost like someone trying to sell you a product.

"Mmmm..." He mumbled, "Well I've been watching you...". He lifted himself from the bed, walking towards the desk and shrouding himself in the darkness of the room. "You noticed, didn't you?" He finished, his tone making the question sound more like a statement as his voice echoes from the darkness.

She gave a nod, feeling uneasy now that she couldn't see him on the opposite side of the room. She reached for the lamp, having to shift her attention for a second as she searched for the button to turn the light on.

As her attention moved back across the room she was surprised to see him now standing only inches away from her by the side of the bed. She flung herself backwards on the bed, scurrying back to create a little distance between them. How did he get there?!

At this reaction, a small chuckle escaped Azrael's lips. Slowly, he opened the book he had stolen from her desk and held it out to her, showing her the numerous sketches she had made of him. "You were even kind enough to draw me a self portrait it seems..." he smirked knowingly. Without hesitation Avery snatched the book from Azrael's hands and gripped it to her chest tightly.

For a second Azrael looked surprised, he hadn't expected such a strong reaction from her, but his expression quickly returned to a calm smile. "I guess I thought perhaps you could use me..." he continued, "I know what they do to you, what they say to you...".

Avery thought about this for a moment, quickly realising that he was right. She could use him. Not just him but anyone. Anyone who could ease the pain - a friend. That's all I want... the thought swirled within her.

"Then I can be that for you..." Azrael interrupts, answering her internal plea for someone, anyone. "I can stop them from coming near you, protect you. I can stop the disgusting, sexual gestures from the scum of your school. I can give you anything you want - happiness, money, power".

Avery didn't know what to say. Azrael once again took a seat on her bed, this time much closer to the blonde, yet she didn't cower. He can stop it all? The thought alone caused her eyes to well up with tears. She almost couldn't believe what she was hearing, his words of hope capturing her completely.

Avery tried to hold tears back as she thought about not being scared to go to school anymore. How she wouldn't be worried about all of the bullies, all of the perverts, of Paige. "How?" She whispered, the question seemed to curl around them as she stared into his eye.

"I'm a demon, Avery" he reminded her, his lips curling into a cheshire smile as his eyes softened looking into her glistening eyes. Avery was so captivated by his seductive speech that the mention of his demonic disposition didn't seem to faze her.

Azrael's smile slowly faded as a look of contrition crossed his features, "But, of course, it will cost you," he explained. At this statement Avery felt a pang of resignation in her chest. Of course there is a catch.

She glanced down at her bed contemplating what it could possibly be. She couldn't help but let her thoughts take her back to the cliche of movies and books. My soul?

Azrael laughed, this time much louder than earlier, "No, it's not your soul" he corrected. Avery clenched her fists, wondering how he kept managing to answer her thoughts. Azrael gives her a reassuring smile as he took a deep breath,

"Time".

The confused expression that Azrael had become well acquainted with reappeared on the blonde's face. Azrael bit his lower lip, rolling the plush skin between his teeth as he contemplated how he should explain.

"Time that you spend with me will be taken from your life, and added to mine" he began, "Tasks that you ask me to perform will cost even more time... though, not to worry, I will not ask for too much...".

The thought of her lifetime being stripped away by a demon did not have a comforting tone at all and Avery felt the sensation of anxiety begin to coil around her. She felt foolish for thinking there was some kind of hope - hope that a 'demon' could save her.

Sensing that she was beginning to close herself off, Azrael mustered a small, yet genuine smile, making sure to lock eye contact with the mortal before he spoke. "Avery..." he soothed, his seductively charming voice catching her in a trance, "Just imagine a life where you are happy. Where you are not scared to wake up each morning and return to the hell that you live in. In exchange for that happiness, all I ask for is a little bit of your time. If you only need me for a year - you will only lose one year of your life. But you will gain many more with happiness"

These words felt like silk gently brushing against her skin. One year of her life for a lifetime of happiness - when it was put that way Avery couldn't help but at least consider the proposal. She clenched her fists, and let herself get lost in the dream of waking up unafraid of what the day would have in store for her, of chatting with friends and holding a conversation with Ethan without fear.

Recognising the look of reverie in Avery's eyes, Azrael grinned. "I'll let you think it over" He suggested, bringing himself to his feet. He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out an envelope, "This is my contract. Read it. '' He let the envelope fall onto the bed in front of Avery, "I look forward to working for you" a pleased look settled on his face as a cool breeze blew through her, and just as he had appeared, he vanished.


	6. Chapter 6

Avery sat in a moment of silence that felt like an eternity as she tried to comprehend the events of the night. Her eyes eventually drifted to the yellow envelope and she reached for it, turning it over in her hands. It was sealed shut with a red wax marking with the imprint of a goat's head with horns following the circles curve. She broke the seal with her nail, opening the envelope to pull out the papers inside. She began to read;

Binding Contract

Section 1 - Purpose

This is the document that details the binding agreement between you, the mortal, and Azrael Black, the demon, into a contract of ownership.

Section 2 - Duration

This contract will last for as long as you, the mortal, wish for the contract to continue.

You acknowledge that once you, the mortal, have terminated this agreement, you will no longer have any claims to ownership over, Azrael, the demon.

Once terminated, if you, the mortal, wish to sign a new binding contract, Azrael, the demon, has full right to refuse.

Section 3 - Conditions of Contact

A) For as long as the you, the mortal, continue to hold this contract, you, the mortal, will have full ownership of Azrael, the demon. This indicates that:

I) Azrael, the demon, may not serve any other mortal.

II) Azrael, the demon, must appear when called, and disappear when told. 

III) Azrael, the demon, must comply with any and all orders by you, the mortal, as long as the request is of human capability, and complies with Section 4 - demon capabilities. Requests using supernatural capability is detailed in Section 3 - C.

IV) If Azrael, the demon, does not comply with the above conditions, Azrael, the demon, will face punishment as scripted in the 'punishment' section of this contract.

B) For each minute that Azrael, the demon, serves you, an equal time of your life span will be transferred to Azrael, the demon.

I) This includes time in which Azrael, the demon, is dormant. This means that as long as the contract continues to be in effect, every minute will be counted, regardless of the demon's presence.

C) If Azrael, the demon, is asked to perform supernatural requests (within the bounds of his capabilities) you, the mortal, must agree to lose extra time from your life span.

I) The amount of lifespan which is lost due to a supernatural requests should be agreed upon by both Azrael, the demon, and you, the mortal.

II) Azrael, the demon, can suggest any amount of extra time for each request based on the difficulty of the task, the time it would take to complete and the effects your request this will have on the mortal world.

III) Azrael the demon can use supernatural abilities of his own will. However if you, the mortal, are unhappy with his actions, you, the mortal, are free to punish the demon as you see fit.

IV) If an agreement is unable to be made between the demon and mortal, the request cannot be completed.

D) Azrael, the demon, is not under any obligation to reveal his personal background to you, and as such, this information cannot be requested.

I) However, if Azrael, the demon, wishes to reveal such information, he is under no obligation to keep this information confidential.

II) Requesting Information regarding the agency in which Azrael, the demon, is employed is strictly prohibited.

Section 4 - Demon Capabilities

Each demon is limited to their own capabilities as indicated in the following section. Azrael, the demon, cannot perform any of the following requests:

I) Bring a mortal or demon back to life.

II) Change the appearance of you, the mortal, or other mortals using supernatural capabilities.

III) Manipulating time and space.

IV) Speak of the agency in which he is contracted.

V) Manipulate Memory.

IV) Killing a mortal who is accompanied by another demon.

Requests that do not involve any of the above restrictions must be completed by Azrael, the demon, otherwise punishment will ensue.

Section 5 - Punishment for Non-Compliance

If Azrael, the demon, does not comply with requests that are within his capabilities he will be punished by the agency in which he is employed. This punishment can consist of any, or all of the following;

I) Physical torture.

II) Removal of abilities.

For minor incidences, punishment may consist of;

III) A punishment of you, the mortals, choosing.

Section 6 - Agreement

By completing the binding ritual you agree to the terms and conditions listed above and will take ownership of Azrael, the demon, beginning immediately.

If you do not enter this binding contract, a demon from this agency will remove all memories of this encounter.

If you do enter this contract, and then later terminate this contract before death, you will retain all memories associated with this contract. However, you will not physically be able to speak about any of your experiences.

_____

As Avery finished reading the contract she only found that she had more questions, and even more concerns. The first thing that Avery noticed about the contract was perhaps the most morbid detail, the only restriction for killing a human was that they were not accompanied by a demon. So if they aren't accompanied by a demon, I can ask Azrael to... She couldn't fathom ever ordering someone's death, even if that person was Paige.

The next detail was the second half of the note, 'not accompanied by another demon', meaning there are others out there with these powers at their disposal. She could only imagine the damage someone could cause with this kind of power, and she hoped she would never find out.

The fact that she would be giving up her life span was her first concern. For as long as the contract continued her life would become shorter, even when the demon was not around her, even when he was dormant.

Furthermore the vagueness of what would count as 'requests requiring supernatural abilities' made her anxious. The only saving grace was that Azrael would have to negotiate a price - this way she couldn't lose time without realising it. However, what if Azrael only ever negotiated at high prices and so she would have to gamble away weeks at a time for each request.

The biggest concern that Avery had was something that she knew she couldn't get an answer for. It was clear what Azrael got out of the contract - life, time. However, what was it that the 'agency' was getting from this if all of the life span that gets taken went straight to Azrael. The idea that an 'agency' from Hell got nothing from this was ridiculous at best. The contract was clear though, Azrael could not answer any questions about them.

As Avery shifted in her bed, letting the contract slide from her hands, she wondered why she was even considering this seriously. A demon wants me to give away my life span for 'happiness'. She realised that while his speech was charming, encouraging even, happiness was not guaranteed. If nothing else the only reason she would consider signing this contract was the hope that it gave her, and if she was honest with herself, she needed more than a glimpse of 'hope'. She needed proof.

Avery's eyes slid shut, deciding that her light should be kept on for the rest of the night, just in case any other dark creature decided to visit her. As she drifted to sleep she continued to think about the contract, about what could change if she really did sign it.

And as much as she wanted to believe that she would never bind herself to a demon, she couldn't help but imagine the dark haired boy who would then stand by her side.


	7. Chapter 7

Avery was awoken by the opening notes of an upbeat melody filling her room. She rolled over in her bed, snatching her phone off the side table to turn off her alarm before throwing the device amongst the bunched blankets at the end of the bed.

Groggily, she pulled herself up from the bed, hanging her feet over the edge as she rubbed her eyes. Light streamed in from the open curtains behind her, a gentle breeze wafting through the open window.

Avery twisted into a deep stretch as she attempted to rid her body of the last lingering effects of sleep, the loud pops of her joints interrupting the silence of the relatively peaceful morning. As she went to stand her foot slipped on something smooth and she toppled forward onto the plush carpet with a thump. A hiss of pain escaped through her lips as she gingerly lifted herself off of the floor, twisting to try and see what caused her to topple over.

The cream corner of card that poked out from under the mountain of blankets caught her eye. She felt her heartbeat begin to increase as she reached for the paper, gently tugging it free from its soft prison. Her fingers smoothed over the satiny cardstock as she looked over the envelope. Spiky calligraphy spelt out her name on the front. With a deep breath Avery turned the envelope over to examine the broken wax seal that previously held the flap closed.

I thought that that was all just a dream.

The memories of the previous night returned to her in a sudden crash of emotions. Her terrified awakening, the contracting that promised her happiness, the price of signing it, and the dark haired demon who held the key to it all.

_____

Avery got dressed in a daze as she ran through the entire experience again and again. Details of the contract occupying her every thought before they were interrupted by the image of charming red eyes in the moonlight.

Avery violently shakes her head, bringing her hands to her face as she tried to rub the thought away. Why am I even thinking about this? Avery sighed, her cheeks now a soft pink as she leant down to pick up her school bag.

With a quick look around her room, her eyes locked with the cream envelope she had thrown haphazardly onto the bed. Should I bring it...? With another shake of her head, she walked over to the envelope, taking it in her hands before opening her side table drawer and throwing it amongst her undergarments. I must be going crazy. With a small clunk Avery closed the drawer, leaving the contract behind as she left for the kitchen.

_____

Breakfast was the same as usual, a bowl of bland cereal and a glass of orange juice.

Avery glanced down at her outfit choice, remembering the gatorade incident from the previous day. She had chosen a white shirt and a light pink cardigan to help battle the cold of the morning. These were her last clean blue jeans, and she hoped that they wouldn't have to suffer the same fate as the pair she had left in the washing basket.

"Good morning Avery!" Her mum exclaimed as she clambered into the kitchen, her purse and a plastic bag were hooked over her arms as she knocked past the cupboards. "Good morning" Avery said with a small smile, watching her mum try to lift the heavy bag up so that she could grab her keys off the hook.

"Ugh! I'm already so late!" She exclaimed as she finally managed to hook her fingers around the ring of her car keys, storming towards the front door. As Susan reached for the handle she thought better of it, turning her attention back to her daughter at the kitchen table with a sincere smile, "I love you, Avery".

This small sentiment brought a smile to the blonde's face. Her mum had been so busy for the last few weeks with her new job that Avery hadn't seen much of her. They had always been close.

"I love you too" she responded, causing a soft smile to crawl onto her mother's cheeks. Susan turned back towards the door, swinging it open. "Have fun at school!" She called before the door closed behind her. Avery's smile faded, "I'll try...".

_____

The bus ride to school was ordinary. As Paige stepped on, following Ethan to the back row, she only gave the blonde a menacing look, otherwise leaving her alone.

Avery was glad to reach her locker without finding a mess of papers and books on the ground in front of it. She didn't even find a hateful note when she opened the grey locker door to collect her books for the first two periods - English followed by Religion.

Perhaps today will be different. The thought brought a smile to her face as she closed the locker to head to class.

Mr Brauner spent most of English class talking about the book that was currently being examined; Pride and Prejudice. Avery hadn't looked at the book since the start of the semester, although she was familiar with the work having read it a few years ago. She tried to pay attention as Mr Brauner asked the class about Mr Darcy and his character development throughout the novel, but Avery couldn't help but let her train of thought go back to the contract.

She hated that each time she thought she had made up her mind to decline, she found herself wondering about how her life could change. How Azrael could change it. She found herself wondering what it would be like to call him to her side, having him appear like a bodyguard in front of her. It brought her a sense of comfort and safety, until he would turn, his red eyes reminding her of what she would be giving away.

It wasn't until Religion that Avery found herself intrigued by the class discussion. "Demons" Miss Edal exclaimed, writing the word in big letters at the top of the white board before underlining it, "What do you know about them from the bible?". The class fell silent, exchanging unsure looks and avoiding eye contact with the teacher for fear of being called on.

"Anyone?" Miss Edal encouraged as a hand at the front of the class raised. "Yes, Jackson" she exclaimed, pointing to a lean boy with glasses in the front row, "That they are fallen angels who join Satan to fight god" he explained.

"Yes!" Miss Edal agreed, writing this answer under the heading on the board. "Anything else?" She asked, turning around to look over the class with wide eyes, scanning the room.

A girl towards the middle of class raised her hand and with a nod from Miss Edal she added, "They serve Satan and were banished from heaven".

"Good!" Miss Edal smiled, turning to write on the white board, "Essentially, they are the servants of the devil. After being cast from heaven due to their rebellion, the Devil and his demons continued their plot to control humans by luring them to sin". Miss Edal messily scribbled the dot points of her speech before she turned back to the class.

"Does anyone know what the bible says demons do?" Miss Edal asked. When her question was met with blank faces and silence she decided to continue. "How about possessing people?" She asked, moving to the front of her desk and leaning against it as she looked over the class, "The bible suggests many things. Blinding people to the light of the gospel, deceiving people by disguising themselves as servants of righteousness, and tormenting believers...".

For a moment Avery thought about raising her hand to ask about demons who would come to mortals with binding contracts, offering happiness and hope, but she thought better of it. She already had enough rumours spread about her - she didn't want 'being a satanist' to be one of them. Regardless, she wondered about staying back to talk to the teacher after class, if anyone would know what they were talking about when it comes to demons, it would be Miss Edal.

Miss Edal was a woman in her late 30's. She had thick short blonde hair with thin bangs, and blue eyes. She had a habit of wearing bright colour floral shirts with the same black dress pants and dress shoes.

She always brought a sense of interest to religion. She enjoyed teaching it and she was very knowledgeable on the subject. When she had introduced herself at the start of the year she mentioned that she had written books about demons, angels and the gods of either side - not only for Christianity but for other religions as well.

When the bell rang to symbolise the beginning of lunch Avery stayed in her seat, still undecided about whether or not she felt comfortable asking Miss Edal the questions floating around her head. There would be no way that she would suspect that a demon had come to her with a contract - she was still finding it hard to comprehend herself. The biggest thing stopping Avery, as much as she didn't want to admit it to herself, was the fear that Miss Edal would say something to slander the charming words of Azrael. She wanted to believe him.

Slowly the classroom emptied, and before Avery could decide whether to leave or not, Miss Edal came strolling towards her desk. Avery straightened herself, deciding to quickly take her book and pencil case to pack it into her bag so that it didn't look as though she was staying back on purpose.

"Avery?" Miss Edal asked, approaching her student with care, "Is something the matter? Are you staying back to talk to me about something...?". Avery's hasty attempt to pretend as though she wasn't staying back had fallen through, and Avery let out a little sigh before she placed her book back onto the table, looking up at the teacher.

Miss Edal wore an expression of concern as she leaned against the desk in front of Avery's. It was clear that she thought Avery had stayed back to take her up on her offer the previous day - to be that person to talk to. But that was far from the case. Avery glanced down at her desk, trying to decide what she should say to breach the topic. She mulled over her choice of words, taking a small breath to ground herself before meeting her teacher's eyes.

"I'm interested in today's topic... and I was wondering if I could ask you some questions...?" Avery began. Instantly, Miss Edal's expression perked up as she realised that the conversation would be much lighter than she was expecting. "Oh, do you mean demons?" She inquired with a quirked eyebrow, "I never thought that you would be the kind to be interested in such a strange topic".

Miss Edal barely gave the blonde a chance to respond before she continued, "I would never discourage any one of my students from their interest in my studies though!". Avery gave a shy smile and a grin appeared on Miss Edal's face in response, "So what is it you wanted to know, dear?".

"Umm... well... " She murmured, having not thought about exactly she would ask, "Do you know- do you think that there are 'good' demons?". This question took Miss Edal back, she looked at the blonde with an inquisitive expression.

"No" she answered after some thought, "As far as I know from my knowledge and experience, there has never been a 'good' demon". Avery's stomach dropped as the information left the religion teachers mouth, it was the exact opposite of what she was hoping for. She desperately wanted to believe that Azrael was good. Avery's gaze dropped to the floor, "Oh".

Miss Edal took a deep breath, studying her student's strange reaction, "Some demons can be less wicked than others, but none are innately 'good'. As I said in class today demons are servants of the Devil whose goal is to lure humans to sin. They are created to be 'evil' and so to have a righteous demon would be counter intuitive".

Miss Edal's explanation made sense, and Avery suddenly found herself not wanting to know anything else about demons. She knew these things, it was common sense that demons would be evil. That he would be evil. What she knew even more than this was that she couldn't believe that Azrael was completely evil, he said he wanted to help her. He was offering happiness, yes - at a price, but happiness. No angel had offered her this. Not even yesterday when she had begged God while locked in the toilet stall.

"How about this" Miss Edal began, standing to rush towards her desk, "I have a book that I wrote about demonology here. You can take it home with you and read through it at your leisure". Avery glanced over at her teacher as Miss Edal dug through her desk at the front of the classroom. After this conversation she wasn't so sure that she wanted to read through the content, but she was glad to accept the teachers offer.

As Miss Edal walked back over to Avery, she held out an aged book of diminutive size with a plain black cover that looked as though it had seen many years. In silver writing on the front cover it read 'Uncovering True Demonology', and under that, 'Written by C. Edal'. Avery took the book in her hands as Miss Edal watched her with encouraging eyes, "I hope this book will answer any other questions that you have".

Avery managed a small smile before nodding, "Thank you".


	8. Chapter 8

Avery found herself sitting in the same spot that she had sat in the previous day. She had forgotten to pack a lunch for the second day in a row, and so she sat with the book that Miss Edal had lent her, unopened.

Slowly she looked up, scanning the basketball court and the sports field beyond that. It wasn't long before her eyes locked with the place that she had first seen Azrael the previous day. She couldn't decide if she was glad or disappointed that he wasn't there. She had so many questions to ask him.

She had decided after her talk with Miss Edal that she would confront him and ask all of the questions that she had. Questions about demons, whether he really did want to help her or was just using her. Questions about the contract, and about its limitations. She needed to know before she made her decision.

Avery glanced down at the book and opened the cover to find a table of contents. Demonic origins, nature of demons, well-known demons, acts of demons... The contents page went on to list multiple categories but none of which stated 'contract demons'. With a disappointed sigh, she closed the book, deciding that she would take a proper look through the pages later.

Glancing out over the field again she was surprised to see Ethan walking with a couple of his friends that Avery knew as Scott and Hayden, basketball in hand. It wasn't unusual that Ethan would spend lunches at the basketball courts with his friends. Avery watched him intently, bringing her hand up to her face so that she could rest her cheek on her palm.

Avery was pulled from her thoughts as a shadow cast itself over her. It wasn't difficult for Avery to deduce who it was when she saw long slender legs ending in a pair of black pumps. There was only one girl who would wear shoes like that in high school. Paige.

"Hey Avie-Wavie, I'm looking forward to our next sports class" Paige smiled down at the blonde as she strutted past, a malicious smirk causing the pit of Avery's stomach to feel empty. This was the only class that she shared with the sadistic girls and possibly the worst one it could have been. Flashbacks to when Addison purposely threw a basketball at her when she wasn't looking invaded Avery's mind. She still remembered how her face felt like it was swollen for the rest of that day.

Avery simply watched as the girls passed her, walking down the field towards the basketball court. From their right, Aiden came running up to the pair. Paige put her hands on her hips as she looked the guy up and down. She didn't look impressed by his presence. After all, someone like Aiden would never have a chance with the 'Queen Bee'.

Avery found herself wondering what kind of business Aiden could have with Paige and watched, trying to deduce this based on their expressions and movements. After Aiden had spoken Paige turned to Addison. Avery assumed that Paige had asked her redheaded friend to meet her at the court because soon after she walked off, leaving Paige with Aiden.

Avery watched as the two spoke between each other for a second before a smile grew on Paige's face and she turned to Avery with a despicable glint in her eye. Avery averted her eyes for a moment, hoping that Paige hadn't caught her watching their conversation. When Avery looked back up, Paige was on her way towards the basketball field and Aiden had disappeared. What was that all about?

_____

Avery had never been the kind of girl to enjoy sport. Her body was small and petite, she didn't have the muscle or stamina that was required. She never looked forward to the class, but as she stood staring at her empty gym locker, she knew that this class would be worse than usual.

Avery sighed, her eyes travelling from one corner of the locker to the other. I was stupid to think that I could go one day without anything happening...

"Avie-Wavie!" a familiar mocking tone called, a toned arm wrapping itself over the blonde's shoulder and pulling her into a warm body. The locker to the side of Avery creaked as Paige leant against it, arms crossed over her chest. Avery was quick to check who was holding her in place, turning her head to look over her shoulder. She knew that the thick unruly ginger hair could only belong to Addison.

"I noticed that your gym locker is empty" Paige pouted dramatically, "Isn't that a shame".

Of course.

Avery wondered if this was payback for her encounter with Ethan the previous day but she was quick to decide that this was just child's play compared to what was likely coming.

Avery swallowed, wondering if it would be worth the time to explain that she hadn't bumped into Ethan on purpose. Addison tightened her grip, bringing the blonde into her chest, "Why don't you say something, slut?". Avery took a sharp breath, her eyes wandering back to the empty locker before she spoke, "there... there was nothing I could do..." she responded softly.

"Nothing, huh?" Paige laughed at the blonde's poor excuse, "Why didn't you just watch where you were walking?". It was now that Avery realised that this really was about Ethan after all. Paige's expression had gone from a fake smile to a disgusted sneer as her eyes pierced through Avery. Avery couldn't muster any courage to look her tormentor in the eyes, nor could she think of anything she could say to ease Paige's hostility. She'd already decided that it was Avery's fault.

The silence from the blonde only angered Paige further. Avery felt Addison's hand grip her shoulder, the tall ginger's fingernails biting into her skin.

Addison was much bigger than Avery, she was the captain of the schools hockey team. Her height and strength rivalled many boys in junior year and some in senior. She was muscular for a girl and intimidating, her resting expression was enough to scare away anyone thinking about challenging her.

Avery winced, this reaction causing Addison to dig her nails deeper. If it wasn't for the entrance of the sports teacher at that moment, Avery was sure she would have ended up bleeding.

"Alright, everyone out! No dilly-dallying!" The short plump teacher yelled through the changing rooms. With a huff Addison shoved Avery away, causing her chest to collide with the metal of the locker door. A gasp escaped her as the collision caused a sharp jolt of pain to run through her exposed arm.

Paige smirked at this, pushing herself up from her slouch against the locker, "You'll get what you deserve" she warned, making sure to knock her shoulder against Avery as she walked past her into the gym.

Without her gym clothes, Avery knew she wouldn't be allowed to participate in class. Usually, she wouldn't mind this, but the disappointed expression on Mrs Travolli's face made her heart drop into her stomach.

"Hughes, where's your uniform?"

Avery hesitated for a second, her eyes glancing at her locker before her shoulders slumped. "I left it at home...". With a disappointed sigh, Mrs. Travolli gave a shake of her head and gestured towards her office.

"Go get a spare uniform and meet us out on the field, Hughes" Avery felt her cheeks flush red in shame as she trudged past the teacher, dreading having to wear the disgusting uniforms kept as spares. She slipped into the office and hesitated for a second before shoving her hands into the bin where the clothing was kept. Avery shuddered at the stiff, foul smelling clothing that shifted over her hands. Avery eventually gave up on finding something in her size and accepted her fate of wearing tiny shorts and a XXL polo shirt as she slunk back into the locker room.

_____

Avery had just finished shimmying into the minuscule shorts that were two sizes too small when she heard the locker room door creak open before slamming shut. Her heart leapt into her throat as she quickly spun around to face the noise, shirt gripped her uncovered chest.

"Looks like Paige was right," A low voice drawled, echoing through the deserted room as Aiden flicked the lock to the door closed. "You're all shy in public but once you're alone..." he trailed off as he slowly stalked towards her frozen form, stopping mere inches away from her. He raised his left hand to run across her cheek, a smirk settling on his face as she flinched away from the touch, backing into the cold wall of lockers. Aiden stepped forward, harshly gripping her chin with his fingers. He brought up his other arm to rest against the wall behind her, crowding into Avery's space and pressing her spine into the harsh metal lockers. Avery could feel his bulge as his hips grind into hers.

He leant down to mouth against her trembling shoulder, the curve of his smirk seeming to brand itself into her skin. "You're a real cock tease, Ave" he groaned as he began kissing an acid trail of kisses up her neck, the hand on her chin slipping down to curl around her hip in a mockery of a lover's hold.

Tears quickly began to roll down Avery's cheeks as she struggled to stay standing through the tremors racking her body, soft sobs and hiccups punctuated the silence. She screwed her eyes tightly shut, not daring to face the reality of what was happening before her. He's not messing around...

"Paige said you would be here waiting for me..." He whispered, his lips trailing up to nip at her ear lobe. Avery's stomach knotted at this, realising that Paige must have set this up. She knew. Paige's words echoed through her, 'You'll get what you deserve'. Is this really what I deserve?

Avery's breath hitched as Aiden's sweaty palm pulls her hips into his. The rock between his legs pressing roughly to her. She jolts, the roughness sending a shock of pain through her body. In a burst of energy, she tried to shove the male away from her but he wouldn't budge, "I love it when you play hard to get".

Aiden's fingertips press at the rim of the tight sport shorts, sliding into the fabric ever so slowly. Avery felt every ounce of her willpower leave her body as the boys hand caresses her arse cheek, squeezing the skin in his palm. So this is how I lose it...

BANG!

Aiden's hands suddenly left Avery's body before a loud scream echoes through the locker room. Without being held into place, Avery's quivering body fell to the floor of the change room, curling into a ball.

"You don't have to be scared anymore"

His voice felt like a warm blanket on a freezing winter night. Avery opened her eyes, looking up at the dark haired demon standing in front of her - it was just like she had imagined. A sudden rush of emotion overwhelmed her, her soft sobs turning into loud cries.

Aiden cowered against the lockers opposite Avery, disbelief and confusion in his eyes. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU??" He screams, the heaving of his chest clearly visible. Aiden looked terrified, his head was lowered in the presence of Avery's dark saviour, his whole body shook with fear.

Azrael gently tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans, an angered scowl growing on his face as he looked down at the slim boy he had thrown across the room and into the locker, "I'm nobody".

At this Aiden huffed, finally finding his ability to move as he ran towards the changing room doors, trying to pull the door open but finding it still locked. "What?!" He shrieked as his shaking hand attempted to turn the small lock. It took him another couple of seconds to unlock the door before his footsteps were heard scrambling down the hall.

Azrael took a deep breath, turning to the blonde who cried on the floor behind him. With slow movements the demon moved to Avery's level, crouching in front of her. For a moment he simply watched her as she cries into her knees, not wanting to touch the girl who had just been assaulted.

It was a couple of moments later before Avery's cries turned back into sobs, and she lifted her head, finding Azrael's red eyes gazing back into hers. That was all it took for her sobs to cease as she stared at him with glistening eyes.

Azrael gave her a soft smile, "I said I could protect you". Avery knew. He had promised her this before. The shock of the whole ordeal stopped Avery from speaking as Azrael slowly stood, his eye contact with the blonde unwavering.

With a nod of his head, Azrael began to turn away from Avery. "W-wait!" Avery called out, her hand reaching out to take the cuff of his boot, stopping him. Azrael's smile hadn't left as he turns back to her, looking down at the girl who seemed as though she was about to grovel at his feet.

"Please don't leave..." she begged, her fingertips pressing into the leather as she stared up at him pleadingly. At this Azrael's eyes softened. He stayed silent, savouring the three words that had just been spoken to him so seductively.

"You know how to make me stay" he answers, and with that, a cold breeze blew through Avery and he vanished.


	9. Chapter 9

Avery must have stayed in the locker room for thirty more minutes. She could envision his eyes looking down at her as she held onto him, his smile giving her a sense of comfort and safety. She could have sworn that his eyes sparked a bright crimson when she begged him to stay, smouldering like embers in his gaze.

She was terrified. Scared that if she didn't have him by her side, something worse than this could happen. What if next time nobody came to save her from his sweaty palms and acidic kisses? How could she live after something like that?

Avery went through the rest of the day in a daze, her memory failing her when she tried to think back on it. She briefly remembered the knowing look Paige sent her as she left the changing rooms with red-rimmed eyes. The way Aiden looked at her like she was a freak in science. The new glares she received as rumours flooded the school.

That afternoon Avery spent reading and rereading the contract. She figured there was some kind of hidden clause, something that she didn't see in the fine print about how the contract would affect her. Demons are supposed to steer humans towards sin, and perhaps this kind of deal could do that. Greedy desperate people who wanted wealth, power or even revenge. Perhaps Azrael had chosen her assuming she would want to hurt and humiliate her abusers? Perhaps he planned to trick her into killing someone, damning her to hell.

As the daylight faded away and pale beams of moonlight crawled through her window in its place, Avery stood in the middle of her room, contract clutched in hand. She wasn't sure how she was to call him, did she just need to speak his name? She took a deep breath, parting her lips before her breathing hitched and she stuttered. For some odd reason, calling his name felt prohibited.

She swallowed, trying to push the strange feeling in her mouth down as she uttered under her breath, "Azrael...?". There was silence in the room. She would have assumed that he hadn't shown up if it wasn't for the cold breeze that flowed over her. She quickly turned towards her bed, her eyes scanning her surroundings for the black-haired demon.

"You called?"

Avery spun her head back around, being met with one piercing red eye mere inches from her own. She let out a shriek stumbling backwards a few steps. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she stared at the boy in front of her.

His dark curls sat just as they always did. He wore a plain back shirt and jeans. Avery's eyes searched him up and down as she took a deep breath. She was already nervous about her decision, his entrance had only made the anxiety building in her chest worsen.

"D-Don't do that!" She mumbled as she clenched the contract in her fists, the sides of the paper crinkling and threatening to tear. A familiar smile appeared on Azrael's lips at her actions, he always looked so amused at Avery's panic. "Don't do what? Come when you call?" He joked, knowing that the blonde before him had been nervous to summon him, "I don't have to respond, you know".

The corner of Avery's lips tugged downwards into a frown, glaring at the red-eyed boy with disapproval. Azrael removed his hands from his pockets, clasping them behind his back as he moved to stalk around the mortal. "I see you have my contract" his chest just barely brushing against her back before she felt his breath against her ear, "But you still haven't made your decision. Why is that?" he whispers.

Avery swallowed, refusing to turn and look at Azrael as he continued his path around her, walking towards the open window to her left. She glanced down at the papers, catching her lower lip between her teeth as she wondered for the hundredth time why she was still considering this.

"I have some questions... about the contract..." She exclaimed, mustering the courage to turn to the dark-haired boy who stood by the window, staring out onto the street, "and about ... you".

"Is that right?" He queried, turning to her with a quirked eyebrow. Avery watched as Azrael turned, leaning on the window sill, the moonlight illuminating him from behind, "Go on".

She couldn't help but admire how the light made the ink on his arms and neck look as though they glowed. How she could see the curls atop his head sitting neatly in ringlets. The pale beams cutting across his face complementing the deep scarlet of his eye.

When a slow smirk spread across the demons face Avery looked down at the contract again with an inquisitive gaze, what was that look? There were so many questions but of course, they all disappeared in the moment she could finally get answers. Azrael waited patiently for the blonde to ask her first question. His eyes locking onto hers.

"Why... me?"

The confusion behind this question was practically tangible to Azrael, how she felt that she was an odd pick. He wondered for a moment what Avery thought the kind of mortal demons approached looked like, acted like.

Avery kept her eyes on him as he contemplated his answer, "Why not?". Azrael crossed his arms, giving Avery an appraising once over with a sultry glint in his eye, "I haven't had a young one in a while".

Avery's eyes widened at the comment. He didn't just! Avery's nose crinkled as her face set into a disturbed frown. He wants me because I'm young? What does that even mean?

Azrael chuckled, raising a hand to his forehead, covering his eye as he laughed at the teenager's thoughts. "I mean..." he grinned, "The last few humans I worked for were power-crazed arrogant arseholes who sat on their asses all day ordering me around, those types always die quickly."

As if realising that he'd already said too much his laugh quickly faded and he removed his hand from his face, revealing an expression that Avery had yet to see. He looked serious, his lips set into a thin line and his eyes seemed to be accompanied by something Avery couldn't quite put her finger on.

"You are different, and that is why I chose you" he stated, and as he did Avery realised what she could see in his eyes - honesty, truth. She brings the contract to her chest as her heart began to pound, the thumping of her heart growing stronger as she searched his eyes. He knew exactly what she wanted to hear.

Avery couldn't help but feel guilty though, if she did sign the contract, he shouldn't be expecting her to use him for much more than protection. She doesn't want to hurt anyone, nor does she want to use it for wealth, power or revenge. She wanted him for the company, for friendship.

"If I sign this..." She began, glancing down at the contract before switching back over to look at Azrael, "I don't plan to use requests and gamble my life away. I don't want to hurt anyone, and I don't want anything extravagant".

Avery paused, feeling as though she was giving a speech that would cause him to leave. She didn't want him too, she had made up her mind in the changing rooms that she wanted him to stay.

"Do you really want to be bound to someone who won't be giving you any extra time?" She finally managed to whisper, crunching the contract in her hands further as she spoke.

Azrael simply stared at her for a moment as he watched how her hands gripped the pages as though she regretted every word. How her nose crinkled whenever she said something that made her wish that she hadn't. How her blue eyes seemed to glaze over with sadness.

Azrael pushed himself up from the window before taking a few steps towards Avery. He stopped a foot in front of her, looking down into the light blue eyes that held so much hope. "Did you not hear me the first time?" He asked, raising his hand to take a lock of her hair into his fingers as his eyes looked down at the blonde silk brushing over his skin, "I chose you because I knew you wouldn't".

Avery was ensnared by his eyes. She felt so comfortable in his presence that when he had taken her hair into his hands she hadn't cowered in the slightest, she didn't move away. She felt wanted.

Azrael's eyes met hers as the last few strands of hair lazily fell through his fingers. How can the eyes of a demon bring me so much comfort? Surely, there is more to this. A trick? Is this all a big lie?

Azrael's eyes mesmerised Avery. She was sure that it was pounding so loud that he could hear it breaking the silence of the room. She almost hadn't noticed that she had spoken until Azrael's eyes softened, "Promise me that you will always protect me". Avery felt her hands squeeze together when Azrael didn't miss a beat.

"I promise"


	10. Chapter 10

Those two words were all she needed to convince herself to sign the contract. She didn't need the other trivial questions answered, she didn't need to know if he was innately good or bad. He would protect her, he would stand beside her. Nobody would be able to hurt her again.

"Bind me to you... So that I can keep my promise".

Avery's heart skipped as she gave him a small nod. A smile reappeared on Azrael's lips as he looked down at Avery, pleased that she had finally agreed.

Azrael reaches down to hook his fingers under the rim of his shirt, lifting the material up, revealing the inked skin of his hips.

"W-wait!" Avery stuttered, putting her hands out to shove the demon back, "What are you doing?". Quickly finding that her human strength could not move the demon standing before her, Avery quickly turned away from the boy who was about to strip before her eyes.

Azrael couldn't help but smirk at her outburst, his eyes watching her as he tugged the black shirt over his head, discarding it on the floor haphazardly. The sound of clothing hitting the floor sent a shiver through Avery. The demon stepped behind the blonde, leaning down to whisper against her ear, "The binding ritual... Did you forget?".

These words left goosebumps as Azrael's breath brushed against the exposed skin of her neck, lighting a fire within her that she hadn't ever felt before. A bright blush turning her cheeks rosy pink, "D-don't I just sign the contract?".

Azrael chuckles at this question, leaning away from the young girl and turning to walk towards her desk. "I thought that you had read that thing at least fifty times, did you not read the agreement clause?". His words echoed through the room as Avery drew a blank. She had been so careful to read each section and subsection so meticulously that she had just assumed that she would only need to sign the paperwork to make it official.

Avery turned to look at the demon who leant over her desk, opening the top draw and rummaging through the stationary that she kept in it. Her eyes widened as she noticed his shirtless form. He was muscular, his inked skin moving flawlessly over the padded muscle and indent of his spine. Two small dimples present just before the black denim of his jeans swallowed him.

She could see that the vines that ran up his chest and behind his ear disappeared into his hair. Another long vine began at the nape of his neck and ran straight down his spine. Toward the middle of his back this vine split either side, joining with the tattoos that ran around the length of his arm just before the elbow.

Avery had taken so long examining him that she had forgotten to answer his question. He turned to look at her, a smirk graced his lips as he caught the mortal eyeing his body.

Avery jumped, turning her back to the demon as her cheeks flushed into a deep red. She brought her hands to her chest, feeling her heart pounding beneath her shirt. She felt nothing but pure adrenaline running through her as she tried to calm her breathing.

"Do you like what you see?"

Azrael's voice had returned to her ear as a whisper, causing her body to jolt forward in shock, distancing herself while refusing to turn and look.

The demon's eye gazed over the nervous mortal standing in front of him, his hands clasped behind his back. He caught his lower lip between his teeth letting a quiet groan escape, eyeing the blush that had flooded all the way up to her ears and getting lost in the pure innocence that emanated from her.

Avery struggled to catch her breath. She let out a gasp, her lips parting as she tried to calm herself. "I-I didn't see anything..." she lied, glancing down at the wooden planks below her. She lowered her arms to her side to tried and act as though she was unaffected, but both she and Azrael knew that wasn't the case.

Azrael takes a step towards the blonde. "Here, you'll need this for the ritual..." he says, bringing his hand to hers as he placed the small object in her palm. She grasped it before bringing the object to her chest to look at it.

Avery recognised the object the moment that she saw the foil square sitting on her palm and she turned to the demon in a swift motion, panic in her eyes.

"This! This is!" She couldn't say it, it was something that she had never even considered the use of and didn't think she would be for many more years. She held her hand out to Azrael, her entire face feeling as though it had caught fire. Azrael grinned as he looked down at the small silver packet that laid on her palm, his eyes flashing with a bright red as he glanced back up at the blonde.

A knowing smirk graced his features before he finished Avery's sentence, "A pair of scissors?". Confusion flashed through Avery's eyes as she glanced back down at her palm to see the pair of pink scissors that she kept in her desk sitting on her palm, "W-what?? Wait no! That's-".

After a moment of silence all of Avery's confusion slowly flamed into anger. "YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!" She yelled, knowing full well that what she had seen sitting on her palm was not a pair of scissors.

Her eyes had turned dark and for a second Azrael was taken aback by this side of Avery that he hadn't seen before. She had the potential to be much more than the shy girl that everybody bullied, and this realisation brought a smile to his face. He couldn't help but think she could prove interesting yet.

"Don't smile! You- You- demon!" She demanded, pointing the blades of the scissors in his direction. Azrael chuckles as he raised his hands in mock surrender, "Okay, okay... you caught me". Azrael's eyes softened at the feisty Avery that had revealed herself, "I hope you realise though that those scissors couldn't pierce my body...".

At this information Avery eyed the demon with squinted eyes. She huffed, coming to the conclusion that he was probably right, not that she would have stabbed him anyway.

Avery had been so occupied by her burst of anger that she had forgotten that Azrael was standing shirtless in front of her. She took a step back as she looked over him, her nose wrinkling as she looked over the ink painting his skin. Those aren't vines...

His chest had a large circle with strange symbols and words written in a language she couldn't read covering both the inside and outside. At the very centre of the circle there was a small area of flesh left untouched by ink - about the size of a ring.

What she had previously thought were vines extended from the circle. Two ran up his chest to his neck. Another pair extending horizontally and wrapping around the width of his arms above the elbow. The next extending down his sides to connect with thick black bands around his wrists. The last pair extending down the indents of his abdominal before disappearing into the waistband of his jeans. It's like he is trapped in barbed wire.

Apart from the strange marking on his chest and wire that ran across his body, his arms were covered in tattoos, all of which seemed much more normal. One in particular that Avery had noticed was the name 'Claire' in small cursive writing amongst the images of skulls and roses.

Azrael broke Avery's concentration when he spoke. "These markings here..." He began as he ran his fingertips over the skin of his chest, glancing down at the symbols, "They are a binding seal". He glanced up to Avery as her eyes moved back and forth taking in the ink that covered him, "This blank space..." he continued, pointing to the small untouched opening at the centre of the circle, "means that I am currently not under contract-".

"Are- are they-" Avery interrupted as she pointed to the barbed wire extending from his chest, "Barbed wire?". Azrael wasn't prepared for Avery to be curious about the seal, most of his previous clients cared little for what they meant, only wanting to complete the deal.

Azrael nodded, "Chains that bind me to the agency, and the chains that bind me to you when the 'ritual' is complete".

Before Avery had seen these markings permanently etched into Azrael's skin she had assumed that he was doing this of his own free will. That he wanted to work for the 'agency'. It was clear now that he was nothing more than a servant. That this was nothing but a contract to borrow someone else's slave.

She looked up into Azrael's eye, wondering how long he had been doing this work, whether he was just forced to do it. She knew that the answers to these questions weren't hers to demand. Nevertheless a feeling of relief rushed over her as she realised that Azrael wasn't a demon dealing in contracts because he wanted to, and therefore he could really be 'good' under the control of 'evil'.

Azrael took a moment to study the mortal's features, his expression had pressed into a frown as he worked through the flood of thoughts that he had just heard. His eyes darkened at the word 'good' that floated through the mortals mind, a word he hated. "I'm not 'good'" He spat, glaring down at Avery with anger burning in his eyes, "if you believe that for a second you should ask yourself why I ended up in Hell to begin with" he growled.

Avery's expression dropped as Azrael's words hit her in the chest, fear and regret flooding through her. "I- I never..." she stuttered, unsure of how to respond to the cruel tone directed at her.

Azrael sighed as he brought his hand to his head, pressing his fingers into his temple before mumbling, "I'm sorry...". The dark haired boy slowly removed his hand from his face, anger now replaced with regret, "I didn't mean to frighten you".

Avery was taken aback by his softened demeanour. It was clear to her that the circumstances that lead to his current position was a sensitive topic. In all likelihood it was a topic she would never hear about, although now a curiosity for his past had been lit within her.

Just as Azrael was about to speak, Avery cut him off. She didn't want to put this off anymore, the doubts that she had entertained earlier in the night were beginning to creep back. "What do we do now... y-you know... for the ritual".

Azrael took a deep breath before pointing to the scissors that Avery still clutched in her hand. "We seal the contract in blood" he stated, reaching for Avery's free hand. Avery didn't resist when the demon's fingers gently wrapped around hers, lifting her hand so that her palm faced upwards.

"Blood...?" She muttered, looking down at her palm. Azrael gave a nod as he reached for the hand tightly gripping the scissors, lifting it to the same height as the other. "To complete the contract, your blood has to activate the binding seal on my chest".

Avery considers this for a moment as Azrael's hands slipped away from hers, returning to his side. I have to... put my blood on his chest? The thought echoed around her head as she looked between the glinting blades and the soft skin of her palm. The idea was already horrible enough but adding that she'd have to pierce her own flesh to do so made her stomach turn.

Her fingers curled into a loose fist, gently pressing against the thin skin of her palm and feeling the heartbeat thrumming beneath. Through all of the torment from Paige, through all of the messages telling Avery to hurt herself or kill herself, she had never thought about going through with it. This is what it takes to keep him by my side.

Ever so slowly Avery opened the blade of the scissors, clutching the open blade in her right hand as she flattened her left, bringing the sharp point to her skin.

Azrael watched her eyes as she struggled to muster the strength to go through with it. The thought of purposely making herself bleed made her insides clench and squirm. I have to do this...

Avery's grip on the scissors loosened for half a second before tightening once more as she pressed the sharpened point into the flesh beneath. Burgundy bloomed in a straight path from her thumb to her wrist as she hissed and dropped the now bloodied blade onto the carpet, a soft, barely there thump underneath her hissing.

The wound stung and thrummed as she pressed her hand to her chest, soft breaths hissing between her clenched teeth as she resisted the urge to shake out her hand. She was brought back into the moment when Azrael let out a deep exhale.

"Now place your palm on my chest" Azrael instructed as he took a deep, grounding breath and readied himself by clenching his hands together at his side's.

With slow movements Avery unclenched her fist, moving her palm to face the demons chest. There is no going back now.

The seconds before contact seemed to last years in the near silence of the room, their breathing the only sound to accompany them. Avery's hand seemed almost magnetically drawn to his chest, her blood felt almost like it was boiling against her hand, branding her.

Avery pressed her palm to the circle on his chest and the moment that her blood touched the symbols they began to light in a bright red glow.

Avery's eyes widened as a scarlet light slowly spread throughout the sigil, finally connecting with the barb wire before the red shot through each of the chains that held him. Azrael erupted in a loud groan of pain that caused Avery to jump away from him, bringing her bleeding palm back to her chest.

His hands were balled into tight fists, veins prominent from his arms, neck and forehead. The crimson iris quickly grew brighter, swallowing his entire eye as he let out another scream of pain and fell to the floor on his knees.

Azrael tilted his head back as another painful groan tore itself from his throat as the red of the binding seal began to pulse. The light returned without warning, crawling back down his chains to the circle of symbols before a small red dot glowed in the centre of his chest. Azrael was left heaving in deep laboured breaths as his body fell forward, his forearms stopping his face from hitting the hard floorboards.

Avery's heart was beating out of her chest as she looked over his limp figure, kneeling on the floor in front of her. "A-Azrael..." She stuttered, taking a step towards him and reaching out her hand for his shoulder.

Suddenly, a pained scream forced its way from Avery's lips as a burning sensation sent a searing sting from her palm, up her arm and through the rest of her body. She quickly turned her hand over, seeing that the cut that she had made was now glowing that same bright red that Azrael's tattoos had only moments earlier.

Avery clutched her wrist as her knees collapsed beneath her. The pain in the palm of her hand felt as though she held blistering hot coals in her hand. Avery's vision blurred as another wave of pain pulsed through her body.

Azrael's head lifted from the floor weakly as he strained to look at the mortal now on her knees in front of him. He could have sworn that she was trying to say something to him, the words only coming out as stuttered, pained breaths. With a loud thump, Avery's body toppled over in front of him, her arm cushioning her head from the fall as her eyes fluttered shut.


	11. Chapter 11

Avery awoke with a muffled scream, her fingers curled into claws and twisted into the fabric of her shirt. She didn't want to remember the horrible nightmare that had woken her in a pool of sweat and panic; the calloused hands that held her against icy metal and the press of restricting jeans against her thigh. She clenched her fists as she wound her arms around herself, trying to slow her shaking and the rolling of her stomach.

Avery slowly unclenched her jaw as her tremors ended, unwinding her arms and exhaling a long breath.

"Bad dream?" Azrael's voice murmurs from where he was perched at the end of her bed. Avery's attention snapped to him as she locked eyes with the demon, looking over his figure as he leant on his arm to look at her with a smile.

"W-What are you doing??" She yelped, her voice catching in her throat as her heart once again began to march in her chest. Azrael sighed as he leant backwards, turning his back to the blonde. "Well, after you passed out last night we didn't have time to talk about how this will work, therefore I wasn't aware that you didn't want to see my gorgeous face the moment that you woke up".

Avery simply stared at the narcissistic demon as she remembered the events of the previous night. The charming words, the sharp blade against her palm, the bright red glow of the seal and then the agonising burning. Slowly, Avery's eyes found their way to the hand and the cut that had sent searing pain lancing through her.

Her palm was now inked with a strange symbol. It vaguely held the shape of an old fashioned key, the bow of the key looked like a 'S' that connected to the pin with a straight line, then zig-zagging into what looked like the number '2'. It was an odd symbol, drawn in thick black ink.

"W-What is this?" Avery cried, scrubbing at the marking with her fingers, vainly attempting to remove the marking. Azrael couldn't help but laugh at the mortal's attempt to scrub his mark off her skin, "That is your 'demon mark'" Azrael explained, turning to the mortal with an amused expression, "Did you really think that I'd be the only one who has to live with these markings?".

"What?" Avery's tone was panicked and frightened, "You never told me about this! If my mum sees this she'll kill me!". Avery fell back onto the bed, bringing her hands up to cover her face as she imagined the verbal beating she would receive for having a tattoo.

"Relax" Azrael hummed, earning the attention of the blonde who laid lifelessly on the bed, "demon markings can't be seen by mortals". The news sent a flood of relief through Avery and for a moment she sat in silence, staring at the strange black marking.

With a sigh Azrael turned his body, swinging his legs onto the end of the bed and stretching out. Avery gave him a strange look for his overly familiar behaviour, moving back into a sitting position as she tucked her legs into her chest staring at him.

"So now we have some business to get down too" Azrael began, "The contract is more or less a consent form. You get to decide how you want to use me". The way Azrael's charming tone carried those words from his lips ignited a small flame in Avery's stomach which she promptly ignored.

"W-What do you mean by 'use' you?" Avery questioned, looking Azrael up and down. She couldn't help but notice that his shirt hugged his biceps and chest tightly. She couldn't help but study the markings that stained his arms, wondering whether the skulls and flowers were also a part of his seal.

Azrael glanced away from the blonde trying to think of a way to answer her question as simply as he could. "I'm a contract demon, you've practically gained yourself a slave with benefits. So you can take that however you want". Avery was taken aback by this statement, she hadn't considered that she would have full control over Azrael, over what he did and where he was. It wasn't a contract of friendship that she had signed, it was a contract of ownership. That made him more a servant than a friend.

"I-I don't know..." She mumbled in response. The thought of commanding Azrael around frightened her, he was much larger and far more intimidating. She couldn't fathom barking orders at him as though he was a slave.

Azrael let another sigh escape from his lips. He had assumed that this conversation would give him little results. When he had offered her the contract he knew that she wasn't sure what she wanted, what she would want him for. It wasn't going to be like others that instantly treated him as though he was their property.

"Can we just figure it out as we go...?" Avery asked, eyeing Azrael who sat comfortably in front of her. "B-But! Don't just appear on my bed when I wake up... it's weird..." she finished, glancing down at the bed sheets that she had gathered to her chest.

"Noted" Azrael gave a nod, "Now, about that 'protection' that I promised you". Avery perked up at the shift in conversation, this was the reason she had agreed to sign the contract to begin with.

"There are two ways I can protect you. Both with their benefits and consequences" He starts, raising his finger in the air for emphasis, "The first is that I protect you using my power from afar. This would be good if you don't want people in you life to see me around you. This also means that in the unlikely event that someone with a demon shows up in this town they would be much less likely to recognise that you also have a contract. Obviously, demons can recognise other demons."

"The consequences of this though is that... well first you don't get to hang out with me all the time" At this Avery scrunched her nose at him in exasperation. Azrael grinned at her reaction but continued, "but more importantly it requires the use of my demon powers, meaning that each time I have to protect you, you have to give up more of your time. How much we can agree upon if you choose this option".

Azrael paused giving the mortal a moment to think. I would have to give up more time? Avery already knew that she didn't want to give away any more time than she had to. She told Azrael that she didn't want to use his powers and she meant that. 

Azrael raised a second finger, "Option two" he exclaimed, pulling the blonde from her thoughts. "I protect you physically, or I guess by 'mortal' power. Of course this means you would have to put up with me hanging around you everyday, it would also mean that I would have to physically appear in front of you. Therefore anyone present would notice me. The benefits of this though is that I wouldn't have to use my powers, and consequently you won't lose any more of your lifespan. You could say that it's 'free' labour".

Azrael was right, both options have their benefits and their consequences. The first option had by far the biggest consequence, and that was that Avery would lose more of her life each time she was protected by him. However Azrael could then work from behind the scenes. Her school life would continue in peace without the bullying.

On the other hand, option two would essentially be free, she wouldn't lose any more of her time. However, Azrael would then have to exist in her everyday life and she would have to come up with a story for his existence and actions. What would she even say? What story would Paige believe? What happens if he has to protect me in the middle of a crowd?

While she liked the idea of having someone who was always around, like a friend, she knew that if that person was Azrael it would cause a scene. Regardless of his demonic disposition, the pair of them looked polar opposite; he looked like a punk with tattoos and piercings, she looked like a boring book worm. Not to mention that Azrael was a good looking guy. She wanted the attention to move away from her rather than onto her.

Avery shook her head in exasperation, glancing to the demon who waited for her answer patiently. "Isn't there a third option?" she pleaded, wanting an option that could give her the benefits of both, while excluding the consequences against her life span.

Azrael shook his head, "Nope" he sighed, "What you're really choosing between is using my demonic powers or settling with mortal interference, both of which would give you the same result".

Avery let a long sigh as she leaned back against the backboard of her bed. She didn't know that there would be all these small details after she signed the contract, she figured she would write her name and then suddenly her life would improve. That was clearly not the case.

What she did know was that she didn't want to waste her life away on requests that could be fulfilled without it. She promised herself when she called Azrael to her room the previous night that she would stick by this rule. Happiness was precious, but so was life. With a deep sigh she parts her lips to answer him.

Suddenly her bedroom door slammed open, "Ave!! What are you doing? The bus is supposed to be here in 5 minutes!!" Her mum yelled into the room, glaring at her daughter as she tucked her suit jacket over her arm. Avery's eyes widened as she turned to the end of her bed where Azrael had been sitting only to find that he had vanished into thin air. 

"Avery! Do you hear me!" Her mum continued as the blonde slowly turned her attention back to her mum with a confused and shocked expression. "I-I... I forgot to set my alarm..." Avery mumbled, feeling the guilt of her half-lie immediately as her mother shot her a disappointed scowl. 

"I'll call and tell them that you are skipping first period, I can't drop you off so if you miss the bus you'll have to walk there yourself" Susan exclaimed as she turned to leave. "Sorry mum..." Avery mumbled as the business woman disappeared down the hall, her heels hastily creaking against the floorboards.

Avery breathed a big sigh as she jumped up from her bed, striding towards her closet. Avery was quick to pick out a pair of black jeans, plain white shirt and a cream coloured jacket to battle the frosty breeze of fall. She stalked across the room to the door, taking the handle in her hand before she turned back to look at the spot where the demon had comfortably sat on her bed. Wondering where he had gone and when he would be back.


	12. Chapter 12

Avery trudged down the sidewalk towards school, her bag slung over her shoulder. Her cheeks and nose were flushed a soft pink from the cold breeze brushing against her face and she rubbed her hands together in an attempt to keep them warm. The school bus had just began to pull away from the curb as she exited her house, and although she had waved her arms at the driver, she did not stop to let Avery on.

"I've forgotten what it's like to be cold" Azrael's voice commented, startling Avery into letting out a gasp. Her heart began to race as she turned to the demon. Azrael simply gave the blonde a lopsided grin as she stared at him, knowing very well that his entrance would startle her. "Can you stop doing that?" She grumbled before turning away from him, taking a deep breath as she began to continue on her way. The request made the dark-haired demon grin, "But your reaction is always so amusing" He mused, slowing to walk a few feet behind the blonde.

Azrael's eyes glanced at the Avery, watching the back of her head as she kept her eyes in front of her, his grin relaxing into a smile. It had been a long time since he had done something as mundane as walking to school, the chilled breeze against his skin felt like freedom to a demon trapped in chains. How Ironic, he thought.

"Did you decide?" Azrael began, interrupting the silence between the two. Avery slowed for a moment, having forgotten about the choice that Azrael had given her before she had to rush to get ready. As much as she didn't want to draw attention to herself, she wasn't going to waste her life for protection when she could get it for free.

There were a few obstacles though. The first was how people would react when some stranger with red eyes waltzed into the school grounds, that would surely bring unwanted attention to her.

"If I did go with option two... would they... I mean, would other people be able to see your eyes?".

Azrael smiled, "No. Only you and other demons can see my red eyes. To other mortals, they will likely just look brown or something else equally boring".

"Oh" was all Avery could say, relieved that the first obstacle was so easy to overcome. "And how about 'a story'. What did your other... humans, use to say?"

Azrael's smile faded at her question, he didn't particularly want to talk about his past clients. It felt akin to talking to someone about his past relationships, likely to do nothing but stir up trouble.

"Nothing that would work for a high school student" Azrael responded after a moment of silence, "Most had no problem selling their lives for my powers anyway, but you're different".

You're different. Those words always sent a tendril of warmth through Avery, even when the cool breeze stung her hands and cheeks. In this case she was sure, different was better. Avery had a lot to think about, she needed to come up with some kind of story for Azrael, something that would make sense and that would cause the least impact or attention. That wasn't as easy as it seemed though.

With a critical eye, Azrael looked over the mortals taste in clothing. The plain coloured shirt and jacket mixed with her minimal effort to do her hair or put any makeup on. Granted, Avery didn't need makeup, but Azrael could only wonder how just a little mascara and eyeliner could make those light blue eyes stand out.

Azrael sighed dramatically, gaining the attention of the girl walking in front of him. Avery glanced back at him for a moment but promptly turned back to watch where she was walking.

"You know, I understand the whole birds nest style, but you could probably put more effort into your hair" The words rolled from Azrael's lips in a mocking tone as he grinned. Avery stopped in her tracks, turning to face the boy who had just made a rude comment, "Excuse me?". 

Azrael smiled as he reached out to catch a blonde strand of hair that hung beside her face, "I mean, if I'm going to be seen with you in public, I'd at least like some effort". This statement earned a smack to Azrael's arm. "Well, don't expect any" Avery grumbled in response, giving the demon a glare before she turned on her heel to continue on her way.

Azrael couldn't help but let a chuckle escape. Her reaction to his comments were amusing and he enjoyed seeing her get a little mad with him. It had been a long time since he was able to get away with making fun of a client. He hoped that she would never realise that a simple demand could make him stop altogether. 

"What I really mean is..." Azrael started, letting the amused grin turn into a sincere smile, "This is your first day of happiness, shouldn't your look match that?". Avery didn't stop walking as she contemplated his words, It doesn't matter because I didn't have time to get ready this morning...

Azrael's eyes softened at the mortal's thought, and almost instantaneously Avery's hair tie snapped, her hair falling in golden waves over her shoulders and down her spine. Avery's eyes widened as she stopped, reaching up to her head to touch the smooth blonde locks that felt like silk against her fingertips.

"There, now you look presentable" Azrael murmured in a soft voice as the mortal turned to give him a confused expression. "What did you do?" Avery's hands brushed through the waves, finding no knots or tangles.

"I fixed that mess for you, I even put some makeup on your sad face so you can match the way that your day will be" Azrael explained as the blonde's eyes widened. She quickly swung her bag to her side and unzipped the front pocket to take out her phone.

Opening the camera, she took in her appearance. Aside from the perfect waves of gold falling over her shoulders, she was now wearing mascara and a thin line of eyeliner, winging her eye. Her lips had been painted a subtle shade of glossy pink and her cheeks a rosy pink.

The person in the reflection was not the same Avery that had shown up to school the last month. The colour was returned to her cheeks, the sparkle returned to her eye. She looked beautiful.

"I..." she gasped, her words getting caught in her throat as her eyes began to get glassy.

"Don't cry" Azrael soothed, placing a hand on the blondes shoulder, "This one's on me but next time it'll cost you". A gentle smile graces the demon's features as Avery sniffed, blinking away the water in her eyes.

"Thank you" she muttered, not having realised that the change would suddenly make her feel so much stronger, more confident. She suddenly felt as though the day ahead of her couldn't be ruined by anything and for the first time in a month she was excited to go to school.  
_____

Avery sent Azrael away with the promise of thinking up a story for him during the day. Since the second period had already started when Avery arrived, she was greeted with empty hallways. She had taken much longer to walk to school than she expected; her demon acting as a distraction. Without too much rush she picked out her books for History before heading to the classroom.

When Avery opened the door to the small classroom she was welcomed by confused stares. Murmurs and whispers filled the room as she quickly tiptoed to take her seat. 'Is that Avery Hughes?' 'She looks so different!' 'What happened to her? She looks hot!'

Avery slid into the desk and stared at the wooden table top, feeling the warmth of a blush spread through her cheeks. These whispers were far different than what she was used to hearing and it was a welcomed change.

Avery spent most of the lesson wondering what kind of story she could use to cover Azrael's presence. At first she thought about him being a brother or relative, but she was sure that her sister Gwen would be asked about him. Her sister had stayed blissfully unaware of her circumstances for the last month and she wanted it to stay that way.

Her second thought was having him pose as a teacher. An issue with that was that being seen with a teacher hanging around her would surely cause the rumours to take an even worse turn.

By the end of the lesson she still hadn't come up with a good cover story, at least one that would make sense, not cause rumours and stay out of ear shot from her sister.

As Avery began her walk to her usual destination on the grass by the basketball court she was still immersed in ideas for her demon's secret identity that she failed to notice the pale freckled arm that reached out of an open door, grabbing her bag and pulling her backwards roughly. 

Avery stumbled into an empty classroom, falling to the ground with a loud thud as the door shut behind her. She let out a hitched shriek of pain as she landed, quickly bringing one of her wrists into the palm of her free hand. As she fell she had put her hand out to cushion the fall but the force had bent her wrist in an odd direction, a thrum of pain shooting through her.

"Aww, did you hurt yourself?" Paige mocked as she walked up to stand at Avery's feet, arms crossed and a menacing expression across her face, "That's a real shame". Her tone was cold and cynical, there wasn't any part of her that felt remorse for the harm she had brought to the blonde below her. 

Avery wasn't sure why she had been pulled into the classroom and away from the bustling halls of the school, but by the look of the ginger standing behind Paige guarding the door, she knew it couldn't be for any good reason.

"Have you heard the rumours...?" Paige began and Avery's attention turned from the ginger back to the brunette as she towered over her. It was when Avery noticed the unwavering frown set on Paige's face that she realised that this encounter was going to be more than just a chance to bully her - there was a reason behind it.

"I mean Aiden Phillips? That's disgusting" Paige cringed as she unfolded her arms, placing her hands on her hips. "How desperate can you be?" Addison chimed in, huffing at the very thought. She was right, anyone who wanted Aiden would have to be desperate. The guy was a creep, after what he had tried to do to Avery she couldn't even stand to hear his name. But she had never done anything with him - not willingly. 

"Nothing happened" Avery protested, clenching her fists as she slowly moved into a sitting position. She didn't know what had come over her, before today she would have never stood up to the brunette and bodyguard like this. Today she felt like a different person, whether it was the newly found confidence, or knowing that she had a demon on her shoulder, she wasn't sure why. I'm not dealing with this anymore.

"Oh, really?" Paige said and let a short laugh escape through her lips, "You can't seriously think that anyone would believe that?". As Avery slowly brought herself to her feet, brushing herself off as she did she turned to lock eye contact with the brunette. Avery's expression set itself into a frown as she glared at her tormentor, a rush of adrenaline causing her heart to pump faster. Paige simply glared back at the blonde, looking her up and down as she stood before her.

"I don't care what they think of me" Avery stated, her hands balling into fists at her sides as she summoned all of her courage to say the next sentence;

"But you will care when they see your true nature".

Paige's expression quickly flared into rage as her eyes pierced through the blonde, "What did you fucking say, bitch?". Paige raised her hand as she stepped towards the blonde, swinging her hand violently towards Avery's face. Instinctively, Avery closed her eyes and raised her arms in defence.

"That's enough".

Silence fell in the room. Paige's hand had been stopped, a strong hand squeezing her wrist in place. As Avery opened her eyes slowly, her heart skipped a beat staring up at her bully and the demon behind her.

Paige's eyes were huge in her shock as she looked over her shoulder at the handsome dark-haired boy who held her in place with such unrelenting force. Azrael glared at the brunette, his eyes were dark and angry and they caused Paige's expression to shift from anger into fear in a matter of seconds. 

It wasn't until the ginger sat up from her position on the floor that Avery realised that Azrael had shoved the door and Addison to the side in order to enter the room. Avery smiled in relief as she looked over at Azrael who held Paige's wrist in an iron grip despite her attempts to struggle. He really did protect me.

Azrael brought the brunette's wrist down before turning her and pushing her towards the door of the room, standing between Avery and the one person who had caused her so much pain. Avery looked up at the back of his head as he created a wall between her and everything bad in her life. If she wasn't sure about this decision before, she was now. This was worth it.

Paige quickly took her wrist in her hand, rubbing at the skin that Azrael had held. "Who are you?!". Her expression was priceless, a mixture of confusion, fear and panic. Addison hadn't moved from her position on the floor, she looked as though she had been overwhelmed with shock. Her mouth hung open and her eyes wide.

"I'm the person you'll have to go through if you want to touch Avery" Azrael answered, his eyes glaring through Paige, "If you touch her again, I will ruin you". At this Paige took a step back. Avery could only imagine the look in Azrael's eye as he said those words, and she imagined the pressure that she had felt when first meeting him. I wonder if they feel it too.

Paige looked lost for words. As though she had never been in a situation where she wasn't the most feared person in the room. As though she had never once been stood up to before.

"We'll see about that" She managed as she attempted to clear the fear from her eyes, replacing it with intimidation. With those final words she turned and stormed out of the room. Addison quickly scrambled to her feet to follow her.


	13. Chapter 13

Avery spent English and Religion reliving the moment that Azrael had appeared before her and snatched Paige's hand out of the air. The look of fear on her face as she stared into the eyes of a demon, and the memory of the pair scrambling out of the room.

She felt so powerful, and for the first time she didn't stop herself from thinking about eating in the cafeteria, or even talking to Ethan if he passed her in the hall.

She imagined how she would bump into him and how they would both apologise at the same time. He would ask if she was free that afternoon, and when she said 'yes' they would swap numbers. He would take her to a cute little cafe and she would finally get the courage to tell him that she knew him in middle school.

She had been so caught up in her imagination that she had almost missed it when Miss Edal announced the next assignment for religion. It was to be a report about a topic from the first few weeks of the semester.

"You're more than welcome to choose your assignment focus as long as it has links to the first few topics. You can choose to write about Michael and his role in the battle against Lucifer, the fall of angels to earth and what became of them, demons or angels and so forth" Miss Edal explained, placing her marker down on her desk. "This assignment is due two weeks from now, on Friday". With that, the bell rang and with groans and complaints students slowly packed up and began to leave for lunch.

_____

The cafeteria was a large square room with rows of rectangular metal tables and chairs. Countless students had already gathered, crowding towards the food lines and filing through the buffet style selections.

A feeling of intimidation was quick to overcome Avery as she watched students push and shove each other against the metal poles that served to keep some kind of order in the line. She turns to look back at the big blue double doors before taking a deep breath. No, I don't want to be scared anymore.

After a minute or so of being bumped and pushed forward, she was looking over the selection of food. Half of the food looked as though it was some kind of meat thrown in a blender until it looked like oddly coloured sludge. She managed to pick up a small serving of beans, corn and what she hoped was some kind of pasta bake.

It wasn't until Avery was carrying the plastic tray back towards an empty table in the middle of the cafeteria that Paige and her gang caught Avery's eye. Paige squinted, pressing her tongue to the inside of her mouth and looking Avery up and down in disgust.

Her expression was quick to change into a smile when Ethan walked up beside her and put his hand on her shoulder, saying something to her that Avery couldn't hear. The pair were followed by Hayden, Scott, Addison and another girl that Avery didn't recognise.

Avery averted her eyes, hoping that she could go through lunch without any trouble from Paige or her posse. She took a seat at the empty table, placing her tray down in front of her. "Slut" A stranger muttered with a low chuckle as they passed behind the blonde, causing Avery to bring her eyes down to her lap. Maybe I shouldn't have come here after all...

Avery thought for a moment about what it would be like if Azrael was sitting across from her. She was sure that this appearance and demeanour would scare everybody away. It was just that she didn't want to encourage any attention towards her, she already had enough from those girls who hissed nasty words to her.

Where does he go when he isn't around? Does he go back to ... Hell? Avery's gaze shot up as she glanced around the room, or does he follow me like some kind of stalker? It wasn't Azrael that she saw though, attracting the attention of many people in the cafeteria as they walked towards her. Who she saw instead was Ethan, plastic tray in hand. 

"Hey..." He began as he approached the table, giving Avery a nervous smile as he eyed the seat across from her. "Hi..." Avery muttered, trying to look up at him but finding that her eyes would dart away the moment she saw emerald green. Why is he here?

"Can I sit here?" he queried, pointing a long finger towards the seat across from her. Avery simply nodded, wondering why Ethan had come to sit with her. Her mind raced with assumptions. Is this some kind of dream... no It's way to realistic and I remember waking up this morning. Did Paige have him come here for something... no, no she wouldn't want him near me and he wouldn't do anything horrible on her behalf. Then a thought came to mind that made her heart feel as though it had dropped into her stomach, Is it because I'm sitting alone and he pities me?

"I'm not-" Avery began, not wanting to phrase her statement in a way that would offend the green eyed boy that she had been wanting the chance to talk to since the beginning of the year. "I don't mind eating lunch alone, you know... if you...", Avery was interrupted by the sincere smile that graced Ethan's face, making her heart suddenly rise back into her chest as she watched him cautiously.

"I remember you from the other day... you looked as though you were having a really rough one" He gave Avery a gentle smile, brushing the tangled brown hair away from his forehead, "I wanted to see if you were okay? You know, after the Gatorade and all". Avery was taken aback by the concern laced in his tone and she was once again mesmerised by those gentle eyes that looked at her so sweetly.

"I-I..." She stuttered, having to glance away from him so that she could organise her thoughts, "Yeah... I'm fine. It was just an accident..." she lied.

"I'm glad to hear that, I thought maybe there was some kind of bully and-".

Ethan looked as though he had lost all train of thought as Avery brushed some blonde strands behind her ear. His nose crinkled, small wrinkles appearing between his eyebrows as he leaned towards her quizzically. Avery blinked, bringing her gaze back towards Ethan as they locked eyes, silence falling over the pair. Avery's heart began to pound in her chest with each second that he stared at her so intensely. The bustling of the cafeteria being drowned out by the rhythmic thump while she tried to deduce what he was thinking, he looks so... focused. Ethan parted his lips, leaning on his arm as he began to speak. "Do I-".

Ethan was interrupted by the shrill voice of a girl approaching the table. The pair broke their gaze and turned to the person who now stood at the end of the table. It was the girl that Avery had seen standing with the group earlier, the one that she didn't recognise. She was pale with long blonde ringlets. She wore square red glasses that framed her large brown eyes. 

"Oh! Sorry if I was interrupting a serious conversation" The girl apologised, having noticed the intense stare off that the pair were having. She raised her hands in front of her with a guilty expression as her eyes travelled back and forth between Ethan and Avery. Ethan's expression broke into a smile, "No, not at all.'' A smile appeared on the girl's face as she skipped around the table to take a seat beside Ethan.

"And who's this?" She asked, placing her red bag on her lap and glancing over to Avery. Avery had thought that Ethan was about to introduce her but then he said, "Oh, I didn't even ask for your name...". Avery's smile fell slightly as she eyed the boy she had remembered from middle school. That's right... he doesn't recognise me.

"I'm Avery..." She answered shyly, letting her gaze fall to her lap momentarily in disappointment. "Well I'm Ethan and this is Sadie" Ethan introduced, gesturing towards the blonde as he said her name. A grin grew on Sadie's face as she eyed Avery, "Hey, I recognise you..." she began, and once again Avery's heart sank, assuming that she was about to say something about her Paige-inflicted 'reputation'.

"We're in the same English class!" She cheered and reached across the table to take Avery's hand that was lying next to her food tray. Avery startled in surprise at the boldness of her action and her eyes widened as she looked down at the tiny hands that now gripped her own. "Let's be friends? Okay?" Sadie said with a big smile. If it wasn't for the pure shock Avery probably would have burst into tears from the kind gesture.

Ethan reached across to pat Sadie's arm, "You're being way too intense" he laughed. Sadie gently let go of Avery's hand and sat back down in the seat with a huff, "I am not. I'm just excited about making a new friend" she grumbled. Avery was still trying to find her words as Ethan began to explain that some people don't like being approached so suddenly.

"Y-Yes..." She began, catching the attention of both the blonde and brunette sitting across from her, "I'd- I'd like that...".

Silence fell over the trio as Ethan and Sadie both stared at the shy blonde that now had a pink tint spreading through her cheeks. Ethan smiled and Sadie's face filled with affection "Awww! You're so cute" she cooed, standing up to reach across and grab Avery's hand again, "We can be best friends!". 

Avery suddenly felt as though she had woken up into a completely different world than the one that she lived in yesterday. Yesterday she had no friends, she was terrified to go to school, and she was all alone. Today she sat at the cafeteria, across from a new friend and the boy she had been wanting to talk to since the beginning of the year and she felt happy.

Avery stared into Sadie's large doll-like eyes and she could feel tears begin to threaten her vision. She quickly closed her eyes, removing her hand from Sadie's to cover her face, trying to blink away the tears. "Sorry I got something in my eye" Avery quickly mumbled, trying to give herself some kind of cover.

"Are you okay?" Ethan asked. Avery wiped at her eyes hastily and hoped that any evidence of her almost-cry had been removed from her face. "Yeah... I think I got it" She answered as she dropped her hands to her lap and gave the pair a smile. When Ethan returned the smile she assumed that she hadn't gotten caught.

"Since we're friends you should come to the party this Saturday!" Sadie exclaimed with a grin and glanced towards Ethan for his approval. Ethan gave her a nod and turned to Avery with a smile, "Yeah, you should come. It's at my house" he added. A party? I've never been to a party before. Maybe It's a bad idea... but they both seem to want me to go...

Avery gave a small nod which made Sadie's expression light up and she brought her hands to her chest in glee, "Yay! I'm so excited. Oh! Give me your number! I'll send you the details!" Sadie grinned and extended her hand out to the blonde eagerly. 

Avery is confused for a moment but then she quickly turned to dig through her bag, pulling out her old phone and placing it on the blonde's hand. Sadie sat back down and pressed the button, instantly finding the home screen. "Why don't you have a password? What if someone steals your phone?" Sadie inquired, confusion lacing her tone as she looked up at the girl across from her. Avery thought about this for a moment before replying, "I don't really use it for anything. Just to message my mum... so..." She replied, reaching to tuck a stray hair back behind her ear.

Sadie gave her a strange look, "That's so weird, you don't like, message your friends and stuff or take pictures?" She pressed. Avery could only answer with a small shake of the head. Before today, I didn't have any friends.

"Strange..." Sadie mumbled, glancing back at the screen and tapping away. Avery couldn't help but wonder if Ethan would also give her his number, but that thought was quickly dismissed when Sadie handed her back the phone without a word from Ethan. She tucked the phone back in her bag and turned back to the pair. 

Avery had expected them to have left shortly after but they stayed at the table for the rest of lunch. Avery and Ethan only exchanged glances and smiles while they ate as Sadie rambled away, being just about the only voice as they ate. It wasn't long before the bell signalling the end of lunch echoed through the large room.

"Augh..." Sadie grumbled as she quickly stood from her place at the table. Ethan stood, throwing his bag over his shoulders and taking the plastic tray in his hands. "It was great meeting you, Avery!" Sadie commented with a large grin, "I'll see you in English tomorrow morning!". "See you around" Ethan added with a smile as the pair began towards the exit. 

Avery only waved as the pair followed the crowd towards the door. A smile hadn't left her face the entire lunch and she wondered if they would join her again tomorrow. Though, Avery had a nagging sensation that everything seemed to be too good to be true. Paige would certainly be angry. Avery had purposely avoided searching the cafeteria for the brunette's piercing green eyes wanting to enjoy her lunch with two friendly strangers that would probably never happen again. Avery quickly shook the thought from her head, beginning towards the exit. Either way, I will treasure this memory and stay positive.


	14. Chapter 14

The next class that Avery had was Science and she was nervous about the reaction she would get and about Aiden. The last time she was in the classroom, Aiden had violated her personal space in an incredibly inappropriate way; Since then he had done much more, and she just prayed that he would stay away from her.

Avery took a seat at the front, close to the door in case she would have to leave again and hoping that he wouldn’t want to sit so close to the teacher. She waited for the greasy-haired boy to enter, silently hoping that he wouldn’t show up today. It wasn’t uncommon that Aiden and his friends would skip classes to smoke and get into trouble.

Much to Avery’s disappointment, the strong smell of cigarette smoke alerted her to his impending presence. The brunette trudged into the room, his eyes immediately settling on the blonde in the first row, a miserable frown crawling on his face. Avery held her breath as she looked down and watched his feet as he shuffled around her desk, hoping that he would sit somewhere else. Anywhere else.

She let out a sigh of relief as he walked down the centre of the room and took a seat at the desk second from the back in the other row. She wasn’t bothered by the fact that she was sitting alone in the front row during the science lesson, she was just glad that she didn’t have to endure the unforgiving assault of cigarette smoke and wandering fingertips.

Avery avoided turning to look at the back of the class as much as she could. It was so hard to ignore the burn of eyes on the back of her head during the entirety of the lesson. Anytime she shifted her attention back to listen to someone answering a question she could see him staring at her with a look of frustration.

_____

After school had ended, Avery was quick to head towards the bus. The driver was an older lady who hated being made to wait. It wasn’t unheard of that she would close the doors as someone ran towards the bus, leaving them at the curb and driving off. A 40-minute walk home wasn’t something that Avery had on her to-do list today. 

She carried herself quickly through the car park, cutting across so that she could make it quicker to the yellow bus she could see past the trees on the other side. 

Suddenly Avery’s eyes caught on the messy head of Aiden striding in her direction, his face alight with vexation. Avery gasped, quickening her pace as she watched the boy speed up his own pace in response. She glanced back at him with fear in her eyes as he got closer to her. His expression was plastered into a serious scowl, the intensity of his eyes sent a shudder through Avery.

She broke into a jog, turning her attention towards the bus and hoping that she could get there before he was able to catch her, her hopes were dashed as she felt something brush her arm. Slim, boney fingers caught her upper arm in a vice grip and yanked her backwards, causing her to stumble. Avery let out a panicked yelp as the skin of her arm twisted in the tight grip, causing a pang of pain to flood through her. 

She turned her head, already knowing she would see the angry brown eyes of her assaulter staring back at her. “Don’t run away from me” Aiden’s tone was aggressive, his grip tightening around her arm in case she tried to escape. Avery attempted to pull away from him but his strength was far greater than hers.

As she stared into his cold eyes, flashbacks of the previous day strung through her mind. His fingers pricking the skin of her waist, his breath burning her skin, and his words echoing through her and into her dreams. Avery couldn’t say anything; stop, let go of me, getting caught in her throat, hasty breathes escaping in their presence.

“You don’t have to run from me” Aiden grumbled, yanking her towards him as he noticed her trying to keep as much distance as possible, “I NEED to talk to you”. Talk? What could Aiden possibly have to talk to me about?

Avery assumed that her confused, frightened expression must have set the anger already bubbling inside of him to a boil because his fingers dug into her skin as he pulled her, trying to usher her back towards the school buildings. He turned back to Avery who was fighting against his strength, but as he opened his mouth his shirt was yanked back, choking him as he was thrown onto the asphalt. 

Aiden was quick to roll over so that he could see who had just tossed him to the ground, his eyes being greeted by the frown of a curly haired demon. Avery looked up at Azrael who now stood between her and Aiden. “I...” Avery began, eyes beginning to burn as she was finally hit by the bottled emotions she had forgotten in her fear. 

Azrael turned to her with that smile she had grown accustomed to seeing, “Sorry I’m late” he apologised before turning his attention back to Aiden who had scrambled back to his feet.

“Get lost” The demon growled, his hands curled into fists at his sides.  
It was clear that Aiden was intimidated by his presence. Just like in the locker room, he bowed his head low like a dog to a wolf. 

“This isn’t your business! Who the hell even are you?!” Aiden spat, glaring up at Azrael. 

Azrael took a step towards Aiden with a loud stomp, “Actually it is my business” he began, “And if you ever come anywhere near Avery again, I will personally rip your throat through your mouth and replace it with your arm”. The tone Azrael used sent shivers through Avery, even though they weren’t meant for her.

Aiden’s expression went from intimidation to pure fear as he took a couple of steps away from the demon, his hands shaking as he brought them to his chest. 

Aiden was snapped from his staring contest with Azrael as a familiar voice asked, “What’s going on?”.

Azrael and Avery turned their attention to the pair that had just appeared to their right. Ethan had a concerned expression as his eyes scanned from Aiden to Azrael then to Avery. Paige stood behind him, simply staring at Aiden before turning to stare at the tall dark stranger in front of Avery. 

Silence fell over the trio as Azrael looks Ethan up and down before his attention shifted to Paige, his eyes squinting at her disapprovingly. Avery didn’t know what to say, she couldn’t form any coherent thought as she just stared at the brunette boy with tears in her eyes.

“I was just trying to talk to Hughes when this guy shoved me to the ground and told me to leave!” Aiden began to mouth off, leaving out any of the parts where he had grabbed Avery, hurting her and yelled at her. 

“Shut up” Ethan snapped towards the mop haired boy, his attention turning to Avery as his eyes softened, “Are you okay?”. Aiden shut his mouth with a huff as Ethan waited for Avery’s response. 

It was when Avery looked into his emerald eyes that she was able to find her voice, “H-He chased me and grabbed my arm and started yelling at me...” She mumbled, tears that she had forgotten about falling from the corners of her eyes.

Without a beat Ethan turned to Aiden, “Leave” he growled, pointing. 

Aiden took a step back, “B-but...” he stammered. 

“Leave!” Ethan repeated, louder this time. 

For the first time Avery felt unnerved by Ethan. She hadn’t realised he had it in him to sound this angry, this intimidating.

Aiden pursed his lips and fisted his hands bringing them to his sides, his eyes turning to the brunette that stood beside Paige as though she was his last hope. A huff fell from Paige’s lips as she averted her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as silence fell over the group. 

With a low growl Aiden gave Ethan and Azrael one last glare before turning on his heel and walking off quickly. Everyone watched Aiden pass a car in the parking lot, kicking at the tyre angrily before continuing on down the field beyond the parking lot.

Ethan pulled everyone’s gaze to him when he let out a long sigh. His expression switching from anger to concern as he gave Avery a half-smile as if apologising. His eyes were quick to move back to the tall dark haired boy who stood beside Avery, eyeing him up and down before he spoke, “Who are you?”

Azrael looked the tanned boy up and down in return, before turning to Avery expecting her to have some kind of story for him. When he is met with a blank stare by the blonde he sighs, turning back to the jock and reaching up to scratch the back of his head, “I’m her boyfriend”.

At this, Avery, Ethan, and Paige’s eyes all widened in unison. It was clear that neither Paige nor Ethan thought that this dark haired, tattooed and pierced guy was the boyfriend of such a shy, introverted girl. 

Avery wasn’t expecting for Azrael to claim that he was her boyfriend. She had only thought that he would tell them his name and give no other details. The very last thing that she wanted was for Ethan to know of Azrael’s existence, let alone think that he was her boyfriend.

“N-N-” Avery began as Azrael steps closer to her, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her towards him, stopping her from speaking as a short gasp escaped through her lips. She glances up at the demon with a horrified look as he gives her his usual smile. 

“Is that true?” Paige questioned, taking a step forward so that she was standing beside Ethan. She seemed the most shocked and confused of the three and put her hands on her hips as she stared at Avery waiting for an answer. 

Avery could do nothing but give a small nod of agreement. She couldn’t just tell them it was a lie, what would she say then? This is the demon that I made a contract with last night and it’s his job to protect me from people like you.

Ethan’s shocked expression faded as he reached his hand out to Azrael, “Oh. Sorry if my tone was harsh, man. I just wanted to make sure your girlfriend was okay”. 

Ethan gave the dark haired boy a gentle smile as Azrael removed his arm from Avery and reached forward to grasp Ethan’s hand, shaking it firmly. 

“I’m Ethan Wilson” He introduced as they held the hand shake for a brief moment. 

“Azrael” The demon returned the pleasantry, letting go of Ethan’s hand to step back beside Avery, this time putting his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“I haven’t seen you around, do you go here?” Ethan questioned.

“I’m transferring in next week”

“Oh, cool. Then I expect to see you around a lot more”

“That seems to be the case”

Avery elbowed Azrael’s side, granting her a side smile from the demon before he turned his attention back to Ethan. Ethan gave a little smile, choosing to ignore the indifferent attitude of the tattooed boyfriend of Avery’s. 

Ethan reached up to scratch the back of his head as he continued, “Well I invited Avery to a party this weekend at my house. So if you’re free you should come along too”. 

This information seemed to light something in Azrael because he answered, “Oh really?” before turning to give the blonde a cheeky grin. 

“Yeah, the more the merrier” Ethan said, placing his hand back down by his side. 

“We’ll be there” Azrael answered, giving him a smile that Avery couldn’t tell genuine from ingenuine. 

“Great” Ethan says, “We’ll see you guys there then”.


	15. Chapter 15

Ethan gently placed his hand on the small of Paige's back, "Well we better hurry before ol' Miss Jenson decides to take off without us" Ethan said, shooting a knowing look at Avery. "See you tomorrow Avery" He gave the blonde a smile as he ushered Paige past the pair towards the bus.

"O-Okay..." was all Avery could say as her eyes followed them.

The moment that they had disappeared behind a line of cars Avery crouched to the floor and covered her face in distress. That went... Horribly.

First and foremost, Ethan now thought that Azrael was her 'boyfriend', which, much to her dismay, she blamed herself for not thinking of and giving him a story this morning.

Secondly, Azrael told them that he was transferring into the school next week meaning that he would be around her constantly. Now, this was what she had imagined when she was still contemplating the contract. However, after seeing the reaction from Paige and Ethan, along with the drama Azrael had already caused with Aiden, she knew that his presence would bring numerous changes to her high school experience.

Lastly, he had told them that they both would be attending the party on Saturday. Although Avery had nodded to Sadie in the cafeteria, she still hadn't fully made up her mind - what if it turned out to be a trap.

She took a deep breath as Azrael's deep voice broke the silence, "Well, shall we go home then?".

The question stirred something inside Avery. It was such an indifferent, normal question and she wondered how Azrael didn't feel the conflicted energy radiating from her. 

Avery pushed herself back up to her feet and turned to the demon with a scowl, "You just made a big mess! And you're talking about just going home?" Avery hissed.

Azrael raised his hands in front of his chest, taking a step back from the small blonde human.

"Now hold on a second, I told you that you would need to make up a story for me. You didn't have one so I made one for you" he retorted, looking her up and down with squinted eyes.

"That's-!" She began, throwing an accusatory finger towards him as she thought about his answer, "T-That's...". Avery's expression quickly changed back from anger to dread as she pondered her involvement in his story making.

"You're right..." She grumbled pressing the palm of her right hand to her forehead as she looked down to the ground. 

This wasn't the first time that Azrael had been part of the Blonde's outburst and each time was more amusing to him than the last. His lips curled into a smirk as he listened to her scrambled thoughts; What now? Ethan thinks that he's my boyfriend. I didn't want this, this was the very last thing that I wanted.

"What? Do you have a crush on him or something?" He asked, curiosity sparking in his eyes. "He looks pretty friendly with that bitch..." Azrael mumbled, bringing a finger to his lips mockingly, "what was her name?". 

At this Avery raised her hand and smacked the demon on the arm, knowing that the impact would not hurt him in any way.

"Stop reading my mind! I know it's some kind of demon power that you have!" She assumed, glaring at him with embarrassment, pink returning to her cheeks as she thought about her crush on the jock. 

"Stop thinking so damn loudly then" He responded, crossing his arms over his chest while giving her an annoyed look.

"I thought you'd be happy about me coming to school with you anyway, you were thinking about me sitting with you at lunch remember? Yeah, I heard that too".

Avery raised her hand to try and give him another soft punch but he caught her wrist in his hand.

"If you hate it so much why did you go along with my story?".

Avery's expression changed to one of frustration and confusion as she looked up at the red-eyed boy holding her wrist in the air.

"I..." She mumbled, not having any other reason besides the fact that she couldn't think of anything better, "It doesn't matter! That's the story now. We can just... I don't know... 'break up' later" she sighed.

Azrael released her wrist, letting it drop back down to her side as she took another deep breath trying to register all of the events of the morning and afternoon.

It wasn't until she saw the blur of yellow through the trees that she remembered that she too, was supposed to catch the bus home.

"Ugh..." another sigh escapes her lips, "This whole thing is a disaster".

Azrael opened his mouth to make a snarky comment but thought better of it and instead ran his fingers through his hair before turning to walk away from the blonde.

Avery's eyes shot up to him and with quick footsteps she followed after him, "Where are you going?" She snapped, reaching up to snatch a handful of his shirt in her fist..

"Away" he answered simply, not bothering to turn to the human trying to pull him to a stop with very little luck. 

"Away...?" She questioned, trying to decide whether 'away' meant some place not of this Earth, or just anywhere away from her. "Stop for a second!" Avery ordered with another tug and after one last stride Azrael come to a halt with a sigh.

For a moment the blonde was confused but then she remembered that this boy wasn't in fact, an annoying school friend who followed her around, but instead the demon who was contracted to follow her orders. That's right... all it takes is a command.

Avery let go of his shirt and readjusted the bag straps that tugged at her shoulders, "Since you made me miss my bus, I command you to walk home with me!".

Another low sigh escaped Azrael's lips as he turned to stare down at the girl that held his contract against him on such stupid terms, "Fine".

A smile threatened the blonde's lips and she turned away from him, beginning towards the first street on her forty-minute walk home.

Azrael trailed behind the human, eyeing the back of her head every now and then between looking at the neighbourhood houses. This is nothing like the place I grew up, he thought, noting the green groomed front yards, white picket fences and brightly lit living rooms. Some kids were out with their scooters and bikes and shot him strange looks as they rode past.

As much as his 'walking home' was a command, he enjoyed strolling through the neighbourhood. It was relaxing and he knew that after his time with this blonde high schooler he would likely be thrown back into the disgusting smoky office of some big shot CEO who demanded more than they deserved. The thought brought with it a sigh of frustration, much like the way someone felt the Sunday night before another week of work.

Avery glanced back at the black-haired boy who dragged his feet behind her with a curious look.

"What do you want?" He asked, giving the human an indifferent blank gaze. She slowed down, waiting for Azrael to reach her side before she continued to walk. 

"I have some... questions" She began, giving the demon a side glance to determine how he felt about her asking more questions. His expression was unwavering as he responded plainly, "Okay?".

Avery thought for a moment, letting her gaze move back to the pavement below her feet. "Can you really... you know... read my mind?" She inquired, realising that although she had already decided that he could, it was nothing but an assumption.

Azrael sighed, "Yes and no. Only prominent thoughts. Ones that are very clear in your head, but nothing else". 

"Can you read other people's thoughts? Or just mine?"

"Everybody, but I have to consciously listen to them"

Avery took a moment to process that information, trying to decide if there was any thought she had had around Azrael that she didn't want him to hear.

"You haven't thought anything too dirty" Azrael grinned as Avery shot him a glare, the exact reaction he was hoping to elicit from the girl.

"What do you mean 'too' dirty?" Avery repeated, the soft pink once again gracing her features. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know. 

"Don't you remember what was going through your head when I caught you eyeing me while I was shirtless?" His grin turned into a smirk as he shot her a knowing look.

He- He heard that? Avery's mind flashed to him standing at her desk, rummaging through her draws, the way his muscles moved under his skin, the ink dancing with each small roll of his shoulder blade.

She turned away from Azrael as she tried to shake the images from her head before he could hear her thoughts.

"Don't look at me! Stop listening!" She managed, and Azrael's eyes wandered back to the road, forced to follow her orders. His smirk didn't fade as he imagined the kind of images that must be floating through her mind.

"From now on if I'm ever thinking something... like... like that, you have to stop listening!" She commanded.

Azrael sighed, way to ruin my fun. "Your wish is my command" he grumbled sarcastically as Avery turned back to him, her cheeks still crimson. 

"Good. You can look now" She replied, now incredibly aware of what she was thinking about.

As Azrael's eyes settled back on the blonde who had continued down the sidewalk he noted how incredibly robotic her thoughts now sounded; I'm not thinking about him. I'm not thinking at all. I am definitely not thinking about that night. Nope. Azrael felt a small smile tug at the corner of his lip, she is an idiot.

Azrael stayed silent as he eyed her, it wasn't long until her thoughts stopped being so robotic. A human could only stay consciously aware of what they were thinking for so long. After all, it wasn't a conscious action to begin with. He decided not to intrude further as her thoughts wandered back to their encounter with the boy called Ethan. Seems like a classic fucking jock, those guys never like me.

"What are we going to do...?" Avery began, not turning to look at the boy that followed her, "You know... next week when you come to my school".

Azrael didn't know what Avery expected him to say, he was just going to start following her to school and meet her at lunch. "What do you mean?" Azrael asked, not expecting her to have any idea what she meant either.

"Well... I've never had..." She mumbled, fiddling with the straps of her backpack, "I've never had a boyfriend so...". The embarrassment was clear in her voice.

She refused to turn around and let the demon behind her see the blush on her cheeks, although she was sure that he was aware of it considering he could read her mind.

At this confession Azrael's eyes narrowed into a squint but after a moment they softened with a sigh, I should have known, considering her reaction to me taking my shirt off in front of her last night.

"Don't overthink it. I'm not gonna do anything, I'm just gonna hang around you and act like your friend".

Avery's expression set into a frown at those words. She wasn't expecting him to do anything and she didn't want him too.

But those last four words; 'Act like your friend' brought with them a heaviness in her chest. She kept forgetting he was nothing but a demon who had to hang around her because of a contract she signed, he wasn't a 'friend', he might never be.

That thought made her heart sink to her stomach.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Commenting makes the wheels turn, Babes  
-Nipp

That night Avery laid in her bed alone, she had ordered Azrael away just as she had gotten back home and she hadn’t seen him since. By tomorrow, she was sure that news would have spread about her ‘boyfriend’ thanks to Paige and her network. If everybody at school was to know about him, she hoped that she could at least stop her mum and sister from finding out.

She couldn’t help but let her thoughts drift to Aiden. The way he gripped her arm in the parking lot, the way it reminded her of the moment he had attacked her in the changing rooms. She hoped that tonight she wouldn’t dream of his unwanted touch burning her skin and the actions that could have followed had Azrael not shown up.

Ding!

Avery was snapped from her thoughts as her phone’s small screen illuminated the white ceiling above and she reached to grab the phone. The name ‘Sadie Miller’ brought a smile to Avery’s face as she opened the message.

‘Hey! Sorry that it’s so late. On Saturday the party starts at 7 pm and the address is 23 Hedgeview Drive. I’m looking forward to seeing you there!’

Avery’s smile was unwavering as she read the message two or three times before tapping at the keyboard to type her response.

‘It’s fine! Thank you. I’m looking forward to it too’

The text bubbles appeared and Avery awaited the response from her new friend.

‘I’m off to bed now but I’ll see you in English tomorrow! Save me a seat!’

Avery felt as though she was about to cry. This had been the first text message in a month that she had received that made her smile. It was a welcome change and she wished that the brief exchange of words could have lasted a little longer.

‘Goodnight’ Avery responded.

_____

The next morning Avery had gotten ready, eaten her cereal and drank her orange juice before standing at the curb waiting for the bus. She hadn’t seen Azrael at all this morning, though she blamed herself having yelled at him the previous morning after he appeared on her bed.

She didn’t want to admit the way she had looked around her room each time she had turned her back for a few moments too long, wondering if he would appear there again. He didn’t.

Fortunately, her dream last night didn’t involve Aiden, and for that she was grateful. However, the images of Azrael shirtless seemed to have seeped deep into her mind because she had seen him there. Felt his whispered words against her ear as his fingers gently- No, I’m not going to think about it.

Avery felt her cheeks begin to warm as the bus slowed to a stop in front of her. She was quick to find herself a seat somewhere in the middle, pulling her bag onto her lap before turning to look out of the window.

'Don’t you remember what was going through your head when I caught you eyeing me while I was shirtless'

The demon's words racked through her like a wave of electricity. No! I won't think about it anymore! But it was too late.

Avery felt her heart began to pound in her chest as she pictured his silhouette outlined by the glow of the moon through the window. The sharp lines of his hip bones protruding in a narrow V before disappearing into the sliver of black underwear seen under his jeans. How the wire tattoo seemed to glide like water over his collarbone with each movement he made, the moonlight accentuating and highlighting every dip and curve of his muscles.

He really was a picture of perfection, and Avery had to wonder, was this how he looked when he was a human. Or did he choose this form just for her?

Avery was so captivated by her own imagination that she hadn't noticed the pair that had stopped at her seat.

“Good morning” Ethan chimed.

Avery raised her head, light pink warming her cheeks as she struggled to find the words to respond normally.

“G-good morning” Avery mumbled shyly. The look that Paige was giving Avery could have shattered glass.

“I thought I had seen you on this bus before. Did your boyfriend take you home yesterday?” He inquired, leaning his arm on the seat in front of Avery’s.

My ‘boyfriend’. Avery gave her best smile, choosing to ignore the daggers that Paige was throwing her.

“Yeah” She answered simply.

At this Ethan gave her nod of the head, “Cool. Well, see you later”.

With this, he walked towards the back of the bus. Paige lingers for a moment, looking Avery up and down with venom eyes, biting her lower lip in frustration before following him to the back of the bus.

The exchange of words was only short but Avery couldn’t help but smile. Someone had told her good morning, and that someone happened to be Ethan Wilson.

Every embarrassing thought about Azrael in the pale moonlight had faded from her mind, replaced with thoughts of seeing Ethan in the hallway later today and having him greet her again.

She was beginning to feel as though nothing could go wrong today, although, something always did.

_____

As Avery sauntered through the front entrance of the school, the smile that she had carried all the way from the bus was still unwavering. She was quick to remember her meeting with Sadie at the cafeteria and she looked forward to being able to get to know her new friend a little better in English this morning.

Avery walked through the halls towards her locker, and it was when it came into view that her smile slowly faded. A pang of confusion and disappointment hit her like an arrow to her heart and her feet slowed to a stop, staring at the scene before her.

Paige leant against her locker door, Addison laughed at something she had said, a cruel smile crossing her lips.

However, it wasn’t the sight of those two that had Avery suddenly feeling so frustrated, no. It was Sadie who stood with Addison's arm wrapped around her shoulders, laughing along.

Another pang hit Avery as she felt her heart begin to weight in her chest, this time of stupidity. She hadn’t even considered that Sadie was a part of Paige and Addison’s posse.

Sadie came off so sincere and genuine the previous day at lunch but was it all just an act to try and lure Avery into some kind of trap.

Is that why I was invited to the party? Is my first friend at this school just a bully disguised as an ally?

As though answering Avery’s thoughts Paige’s eyes flicker to Avery, green eyes looking the blonde up and down before a wicked grin made another pang puncture her chest.

After a moment Paige glanced back at the pair, giving them a nod towards the hall before beginning to walk away from the locker, Addison and Sadie following after her.

I can’t believe it. Did Sadie only approach me yesterday because Paige had told her too? Did she only ask to be my friend so that she could hurt me? Was that smile and those messages just a fake to lure me into a false sense of security?

Avery couldn’t fathom someone going that far just to hurt her, to put that much effort into deceiving her. She would much prefer dealing with bullies like Paige and Addison who didn’t bother to act nice, than someone who pretended to be her friend.

_____

The walk to class was filled with conflicted thoughts.

On one hand, Sadie could be just what Avery feared. One of Paige's pawns that had been asked to become her friend only to betray her.

On the other hand, Paige could have just set that up so that Avery began to doubt Sadie. Why would she want Avery to see that? It would blow Sadie's cover.

Either way, Avery needed to decide whether she would trust Sadie or not. That decision could have big consequences.

As Avery entered the English classroom, she was so preoccupied with thoughts that she had forgotten about the fact that Sadie would be waiting for her in first period. It wasn’t until a shrill voice called her name that she remembered.

“Avery! Over here! I saved you a seat” She called, gesturing towards the seat beside her in the last row of the classroom.

Avery stopped, her eyes flickering to the curly-haired girl who she had been in deep thought about not a second earlier. With a half-smile, Avery gave her a little wave and wandered over to her, taking a seat at the desk she had been saved.

“Sorry again about messaging you so late!” Sadie began, turning in her chair and leaning against the desk as she smiled at Avery.

“It’s okay” was all Avery was able to respond with. She felt weary of Sadie after what she had seen in the hall. She couldn’t shake the idea that Sadie’s bubbly persona was just a show; the way Paige’s nice-girl persona was.

“So tell me about your boyfriend!” Sadie grinned with curiosity in her eyes, “I heard from Paige that he’s pretty hot”.

Avery’s eyes snapped towards Sadie with shock as she heard the word ‘boyfriend’. It wasn’t long until Avery remembered that Paige wouldn’t keep this information to herself. So the word got out already?

“Y-Yeah...” Avery answered, now remembering the awkward exchange of words between Azrael and Ethan the previous afternoon.

“So...” Sadie encourages with interested eyes, “Tell me about him. What does he look like? How did you guys meet?”.

Avery hadn’t come to class ready to discuss Azrael anyone, let alone a girl she was now nervous about talking too.

"He’s tall with dark hair and- ” Avery began, quickly realising that she couldn’t say that his eyes were red and thought back on what Azrael had said about his eyes the previous day, “brown eyes”.

Sadie gave the blonde an enthusiastic nod, encouraging her to continue.

“We met… last year before I moved here… at school” Avery lied, trying to meet the enthusiastic brown eyes of Sadie to appear more convincing.

“Oh, so he doesn’t go to school here?” Sadie questioned, now looking a little disappointed since this meant she probably couldn’t meet him.

“He’s transferring here starting next week...” Avery admitted. He’s going to cause so much drama.

Sadie perked up, “Oh! So I will get to meet him then! That makes me so excited!”.

Sadie’s high-pitched tone was quick to garner the attention of half of the classroom who turned to her with annoyance. It was lucky that the class hadn't started yet because Avery was sure Mr. Brauner would have given both of them detention.

Avery gives the blonde a nod as Sadie grinned ear-to-ear at this information. It was this moment, seeing how genuinely excited Sadie seemed to be able to meet her ‘boyfriend’ that Avery began to think that she couldn’t possibly be faking this.

She wanted to believe that Sadie did sincerely want to be her friend and that there wasn’t some kind of malicious ulterior motive.

It was then that Mr. Brauner entered the classroom, quickly beginning his lesson, leaving off where the discussion had ended in the previous class about Pride and Prejudice.

Less than ten minutes had passed when Sadie slipped a note onto Avery’s desk, earning a look of panic from Avery as she looked up at Mr. Brauner for fear of being caught.

Luckily, the dark-haired man was facing the board, drawing up a brainstorm of key concepts. Sadie gave the blonde a smile as Avery smuggled the small paper under the desk, unfolding it to read the inscription.

‘Can I sit with you at lunch?’

Avery glanced over to Sadie, but she was staring straight ahead at the whiteboard pretending to pay attention to the ramblings of the teacher. Avery thought about this, and she figured this was the perfect opportunity to ask about her relation to Paige and Addison.

When Mr. Brauner wasn’t looking Avery scribbled her response and quickly placed the paper on the edge of Sadie’s desk.

‘What about your friends Paige and Addison?’

Avery watched for Sadie’s reaction to her question but Sadie’s smile hadn’t wavered as she picked up her pink pen and wrote her answer. As soon as the paper landed on Avery’s desk she had pulled it under and opened it.

‘I don’t think they like me that much’

Avery was taken aback by this message and turned to Sadie who was looking at her this time. Sadie dropped her shoulders in a shrug, an indifferent look in her eyes. Maybe Sadie feels the same way about Paige and Addison that I do. Avery was quick to respond.

‘I don’t think they like me that much either’

When Sadie read the response she turned to her friend with a knowing smile, stuffing the piece of paper in her pencil case. Avery had assumed that her response must have been enough of an answer to Sadie’s question about sitting together at lunch.

For the rest of class, Avery giggled each time Sadie would turn to her, mimicking Mr. Brauner’s monotone voice under her breath and pulling faces at him whenever he turned his back.

By the end of the class, Avery was convinced that Sadie wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. There was no way that someone could act so genuinely friendly and nice to her if they were just faking it. At least, she hoped that was the case.


	17. Chapter 17

Avery followed Sadie to the cafeteria after the bell had rung. The lines were just as busy as they had been the previous day. After a few minutes in line and deciding on what slop to eat today, Avery and Sadie went to take a seat at the same table that they had sat at yesterday.   
As Avery picked up the plastic fork, poking at what looked like an approximation of macaroni and cheese she nodded along to Sadie’s explanation of what she thought of each of the teachers. 

“You take Miss Edal’s class, right?” Sadie began, giving the blonde a moment to answer her question. 

With a nod from Avery she continued, “I think her class is super weird. Since my family is Christian, I’ve been enrolled in Catholic schools all my life. She doesn’t teach anywhere near the same stuff that my other religion teachers did” She explained, glancing down at the table with a confused look. 

“It’s not like I’m upset about it though, I’ve been taught this stuff all my life so learning new things makes it a bit more interesting”.

At this Avery could only nod, she enjoyed Miss Edal’s class. Especially since the subject seemed to be entwined with her life now. 

Avery suddenly remembered the report that was due the following week, if she was honest so much had happened that it slipped her mind. It would make sense that she would do a report about demons, she wanted to learn more about them anyway. Especially the contract kind.   
Avery’s eyes were quick to dart to the entrance of the cafeteria when Ethan walked through the door, basketball in hand. He was followed by Hayden, Scott, Paige, and Addison.    
“Paige is here” Sadie announced without even turning towards the door, the obnoxious clicking of her heels giving her presence away immediately. 

Avery gave Sadie a smile, the exasperated expression that graced Sadie’s features bringing up thoughts of the note that was passed between them in English. 

“By the way, you said that you don’t think they like you, why is that?” Avery questioned.    
Sadie sucked in a short breath, thinking about her answer for a moment, “I think it’s because I’m close to Ethan”. Avery was quick to wonder whether Sadie had a crush on Ethan just as she did and she glanced down at the table with contemplation. 

Perhaps it was the expression that Avery was making but Sadie was quick to add, “I don’t have a crush on him or anything though, that would be super weird!”. 

Avery gave the blonde a guilty look as though she had been caught in a lie, “It wouldn’t be weird… you can like whoever you want” Avery tried to encourage.   
“Eww… Maybe if he wasn’t my  _ cousin _ ” Sadie laughed, reaching across the table to tap her friend’s hand playfully.  _ Her cousin?  _ “You’re  _ cousins _ ?” Avery couldn’t hide the shock in her tone as her mouth dropped open.   
  
“Yeah, our mums are sisters. After he moved here, we ended up getting super close so we’re really good friends now”. Sadie’s expression changed into one of knowing as she eyed Avery, “Wait… did you actually think I had a crush on him?”.   
  
Avery averted her eyes guiltily, looking down at the lunch table. Sadie burst into laughter as she watched Avery’s reaction, “That’s so funny! Do you really think Paige would let me hang around Ethan if I had a crush on him?”. 

Her laugh must have been contagious because Avery found herself letting a chuckle escape her lips as she looked back up at Sadie. She knew first hand that Paige would never let that happen.

“She only puts up with me because Ethan and I were friends way before they had even met!” Sadie explained with a chuckle.   
  
“S-Sorry, I made a stupid assumption” Avery apologised.   
  
“Don’t worry about it… honestly, a lot of people think that when they see us together”. Sadie’s tone was one of understanding as she waved her hands in dismissal of the topic. A wave of relief washed over Avery as the pair smiled at each other.    
  
“So anyway, tell me about yourself. You only transferred here this year, right?” Sadie inquired, beginning to eat her carrots and corn. 

“Yeah, at the start of the semester” Avery answered with a half-smile.    
  
“Why Lakeshore? It’s such a small town. I’m sure wherever you were before would have been much more interesting” Sadie probed, looking at Avery with a spark of interest.    
  
“We actually used to live in the city, but my mum got a new job here so we ended up moving” She explained.   
  
“What does she do?”   
  
“She works as a reporter at some news business in the next town over”   
  
“Oh, and what about your dad?”   
  
At this question, Avery felt her heart drop into her stomach. She hadn’t spoken of her dad for a long time. Both her mother and her sister never brought him up, he was taboo in their household.    
  
Avery’s expression must have made Sadie realise that the topic was uncomfortable for her because she quickly continued on with, “You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want too. I’m sorry if I brought up something bad”.    
  
Avery shot Sadie a smile, trying her best to hide the dejectedness in her eyes but failing miserably. “You don’t need to apologise” Avery shook her head, taking a deep breath and trying to shove the memories back into the safe that she had been keeping them.   
  
“Let’s talk about something else then! How about your boyfriend. I don’t even know his name”. It was clear that Sadie was trying desperately to cover for her mistake of bringing up Avery’s father.    
  
“Azrael” Avery answered.   
  
“That’s such a strange name... what’s he like?” Sadie smiled at Avery, noticing the sadness begin to fade from her eyes. 

Avery had to give some thought to this question. She had only known Azrael for a couple of days. He seemed to have multiple sides. The first being his charming, joking side. He was mysterious and seemed to have a scary side to him that Avery had only seen once. Even though he claimed to be ‘bad’, he seemed kind and caring.

“He’s…” Avery began, trailing off as she tried to sum up ‘Azrael’ in just a few words, “I don’t know how to describe him honestly”. It was the truth. She didn’t know him well enough to be able to contain him in just a few words, but she wanted to.    
  
“Oh, one of those guys, I get you” Sadie exclaimed knowingly. Avery was sure that whatever Sadie meant by ‘ _ one of those guys’ _ was not what she had meant. She began to speak up but decided it was easier just to let Sadie think whatever she wanted. Come Monday Sadie would meet Azrael anyway since he was ‘transfering’ here.

“What about you?” Avery began, wanting to change the subject, “Do you have a boyfriend?”. 

Sadie tried not to laugh at the question shooting Avery a weird look as though the answer was obvious, “No, and I don’t think I’ll be getting one anytime soon”.   
  
“Why’s that?” Avery quizzed.   
  
“Well, my dad is pretty strict with dating. He says I can’t date until I’m twenty and even then, I would have to get them ‘approved’” She answered, using her fingers to quote the word ‘approved’, “There isn’t anyone I really like anyway, so I don’t mind”.   
  
“Oh” was all that Avery could say in response. If Sadie had to get her future partner approved, she wondered if she would have to get approved as her friend. Either way, Sadie’s parents seemed very strict.    
  
“Even if I did like someone, I wouldn’t let my parents stop me from seeing them in secret” Sadie added with a mischievous smile, “What they don’t know won’t hurt them”.    
  
The statement brought a smile to Avery’s face. By the end of lunch, Avery had completely forgotten about what she had seen at the start of the day between Sadie, Paige, and Addison. Whether her decision to trust Sadie was good or bad would be decided in time, and she was fine with that.

_____

As Avery opened her locker at the end of the day, pulling the heavy books from her bag, a small folded piece of paper fell as the door opened. Avery’s eyes flickered to the floor before she leant down to pick up the note. 

It was only when she was looking at the messily folded paper that she realised Paige and Addison hadn’t bothered her for the entire day. Even during gym at the end of the day they kept their distance from her and she thought that Azrael must have scared them off. 

Although, Paige’s response to Azrael’s threat still haunted Avery, ‘If you touch her again, I will ruin you’, ‘We’ll see about that’. Avery was sure that those words carried with them a promise to try to hurt her even with Azrael’s protection.

Avery rubbed her thumb over the rough paper, trying to decide whether it would be best to throw it in the bin without even opening it. However, when the thought that perhaps it was Sadie who had pushed the note into her locker, she didn’t want to risk not reading it.

She unfolded the note, opening onto a short paragraph of incredibly messy handwriting. Avery was certain that the note wasn’t from Paige or Addison because she would have recognised the calligraphy-like lettering of their notes. 

_ I need to talk to you. Everything that I did, I didn’t really do. It was all a daze and when I came to I had no idea what the fuck happened. Meet me at the science class after school. I swear I won’t come near you ever again if you just hear me out. _

Avery felt her heart drop into her stomach as she read and reread the note. It was clear to her that the writer wasn’t Sadie. She thought instead that perhaps it was from Aiden, he mentioned wanting to talk to her yesterday in the parking lot.

‘ _ I swear I won’t come near you ever again if you just hear me out _ ’

Avery couldn’t ever imagine these words coming out of Aiden’s mouth. The sentence seemed to make Avery feel as though the writer needed some kind of closure to something, and that just wasn’t the Aiden she knew. On the other hand, there was no other person that it could be. 

Avery crumpled the note and threw it into the locker before piling the books from her bag on top of it. With a loud ‘ _ Bang’ _ she slammed the door to her locker and began towards the science room.

_____

The door to the science room was closed when she arrived. With a gentle tug of the door handle, the door clicked open and she pulled it towards her, letting it swing open as she peered into the room.   
  
Who sat in the far corner of the room was exactly who Avery had expected to see. Aiden, his greasy hair in knots on his head, and the brief smell of cigarette smoke that was so strong it reached Avery’s nostrils metres away from him. 

Aiden had turned to the door the moment that the click of the handle had signaled the entrance of someone, relief flitting across his face when he saw the blonde standing at the door. 

Avery was still unsure what had driven her to the science room. Perhaps it was the curiosity of who had written the note, although by the time she arrived she was convinced that it was Aiden. Maybe it was the apologetic, regretful tone of the letter that willed her. 

_ Or _ , Avery thought,  _ maybe I’m here because with Azrael by my side, I’m not so scared of him anymore. _

Aiden stood, staring at the girl who stared back at him with wary eyes. He wasn’t sure where to start, the last two days had been torturous as he waited for the opportunity to talk to Avery alone.   
  
“You came” Aiden declared, his hands balling into fists as he looked at her with pleading eyes. 

“I’m so glad I-” He began, taking a step towards her but immediately stopping as she flinched backwards. He didn’t know what he had expected, of course she wouldn’t let him close to her.

“Please let me explain” Aiden started, not expecting a response from Avery as he continued, “The other day, at lunch, Paige told me that you wanted to meet me in the locker room”. 

The way Avery’s lips pursed together made Aiden take a deep breath, “She told me that you wanted… well… you know” 

Avery already knew all of this. She knew that Paige had set everything up, but while she encouraged Aiden it was  _ him  _ who locked her in the locker room,  _ him  _ that pushed himself onto her. If Aiden had just wanted to tell her this as an excuse for  _ his  _ actions it wasn’t working.    
  
With a deep breath, Avery turned on her heel.  _ This doesn’t change anything, it’s just a waste of time.  _

As Avery began down the hallway she heard Aiden’s footsteps thumping against the concrete, “WAIT!”. 

She whipped around to face him as he swung himself out of the science room to come after her. He stopped as his eyes set on her, panting and staring at her with teary eyes.

Avery was taken aback by the way his eyes now glistened under the fluorescent lights of the hallway, wondering why  _ he  _ was the one crying. It should be her.   
  
“I said NO!” He yelled, loud enough that if there was anyone left in the school to hear him, she was sure they did. “I told her that I only pick on you as a  _ joke.  _ That I knew she was just lying! That I wasn’t going!”   
  
A tear rolled down Avery’s cheek as she listened to his plea of innocence. The fact that Aiden had it in him to come to her saying that what he had done to her in the science room was a  _ joke.  _ That he hadn’t listened to Paige even though he  _ did  _ show up in the changing rooms that next period… it was absolute  _ bullshit _ . 

“You think touching my  _ legs _ and telling me that I’d ‘ _ beg for it’ _ is a  _ joke _ ?” Avery mumbled as she choked back sobs, “you think I care what you were ' _ going to do'  _ after what you  _ did do? _ ”. 

“That’s just it Avery! I didn’t fucking do anything! I don’t even fucking remember that afternoon!” 

Aiden was now pacing back and forth in the hallway with his hands running through his hair in frustration as he tried to calm the temper boiling inside of him.    
  
Avery wished that she felt any empathy for the boy who paced in front of her looking as though he was about to explode, but all she felt for him was pity. 

She pitied him for trying to sell her such a pathetic lie, she pitied him for not being able to see the biggest flaw. Whether he remembered it or not,  _ it still happened _ .   
  
Avery could do nothing but shake her head in disappointment as she wiped the tears that she had wasted on him from her cheeks. 

“I don’t believe you” She muttered, giving him a disappointed scowl before she turned her back and began to walk away once again.   
  
“Avery! Please!” Aiden yelled, the slaps of his feet as he began to go after her again, echoing in the halls.    
  
“That’s enough, she doesn’t want to talk to you anymore”   
  
Avery recognised that voice immediately and looked up to see Azrael leaning against one of the lockers only a few feet in front of her. He glared at Aiden with cold fury in his eyes as he pushed himself from the locker and crossed his arms over his chest.    
  
Aiden was quick to stop in his tracks as his eyes darted to the dark-haired boy that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. A look of fear overtaking his look of desperation as a single tear fell from the corner of his eye and ran down his cheek.    
  
“Stay away from Avery Hughes. I  _ won’t _ warn you again”   
  
Azrael’s tone caused Aiden’s insides turn to ice as he took a few steps back. His trembling breath could be heard by Avery who had stood with her back to him during this entire exchange.    
  
With a deep breath, Aiden took one last glance at Avery before he turned and ran down the hall. When Aiden was out of sight Azrael’s crimson eyes turned to Avery as he cautiously approached her. 

  
Wordlessly he lifted his hand and rested his palm on the back of her head, entangling his fingers in the blonde locks before pulling her forehead to his chest.    
  
It wasn’t until Avery felt the hard surface of Azrael’s chest against her forehead, and smelt that familiar scent of laundry detergent that she began to cry. Tears rolled from her eyes as her hands lifted to grasp the demon’s shirt, and much to Avery’s surprise, she could feel the slow thump of a heart against her forehead.


	18. Chapter 18

The soft pressure of his hand pressed against my spine anchored me as he drew small shapes against my thin shirt, the rise and fall of his chest soothing me as I lay on top of him. My ear was pressed against the bare skin of his chest, listening to the steady drum of his heartbeat with a small smile tugging my lips with each beat.

I turned my head up to face him, some of his messy coal curls had fallen into his eyes. With a lazy smile, I lifted my hand to brush them out of his face, revealing large hazel eyes framed by long black eyelashes that softened at my gaze.  
I begin to lower my hand only for him to gently catch it in his grasp. He brought the back of my hand to his lips and pressed a petal-soft kiss to the back of my hand. A soft sigh escaped my lips as he continued, planting feather-light kisses to each of my knuckles.

He pulled back slightly, staring into my eyes as the fingertips of his free hand traced a line up my arm, brushing against my neck and stopping as it reached my jaw, leaving goosebumps in wake. His hand turned to cup my cheek, running his thumb over my cheekbone as I turned to press a kiss into his palm in return. A small smile tugged his lips upwards before his gaze switched from my eyes to my lips, an action that brought to life a flame in my chest.

His hand softly gripped at my chin, his thumb resting against my bottom lip and his eyes never leaving my lips. With a low moan, he brought his bottom lip between his teeth, causing my insides to melt as my eyes glanced at his lips in longing. The hand cupping my chin changed its grip to cup the back of my head and he brought his face closer to mine as bare inches separated us. I could feel his breath against my lips and I let out an unsteady breath before letting my eyelids fall shut.  
______  
The echo of the alarm clock rang loudly through Avery’s room, thrusting her into a startled state of awakeness.

She rolled over to silence the alarm blaring from her phone before turning onto her back and bringing her hand to press against the pounding of her chest.

Her dream had been so vivid. The way his fingers glided against her cheek so tenderly. The way his eyes looked so vulnerably into hers as they flickered to her lips with longing. The pounding of her heart against his chest, and the beat of his heart pounding back.

It was strange. Avery had assumed that a demon wouldn't have a heartbeat, that they wouldn't have warm skin. That had been proven wrong.

Avery squeezed her eyes shut, rolling over so that she could stuff her face into her pillow, letting a long, loud groan escape. Her mind continued to flash memories of the dream, of his lips, and her cheeks began to brighten as she struggled to calm her heart.  
Perhaps the part of her dream that confused her the most was the hazel eyes that looked back at her rather than the bright crimson she had become accustomed to. In her dream she imagined him to be something he could never be. A human.

Avery lifted herself from her bed, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm the pressure that had built in her chest. Perhaps it would have worked if she hadn't turned back to look at the empty bed behind her, picturing his form slumped against the backboard. Get out of my head.

Avery dragged her feet as she walked to her closet, hesitating as she took the handle, making sure to glance around the room in case Azrael had appeared. An action that had very quickly become a habit since the morning after she had signed the contract. She didn't know whether she was glad or disappointed each time he wasn't there. Though, this morning the last thing she wanted was for him to hear her thoughts.  
_____  
Avery's bus ride to school and the short trek to her locker had been filled with thoughts of Azrael. The more that she thought about him, the more she realised that she really didn't know anything about him.

The night she had decided to sign the contract, she didn't get to ask him all of her questions. She wanted him to explain how the contract worked, surely she couldn't ask for the cure to cancer, if that was the case why hasn't someone already done it? Even If she could, would she spend her life to save thousands of others?

Also, there are limitations to Azrael's powers stated in the contract; for example, that he can't manipulate memory. Although, there were still so many things that the contract could be used for. Avery had only thought of people making money, cheating on exams and using it for job promotions but she knew that there were people who could think up much more interesting ways of using it. She was only scratching the surface of its power.

If she was honest with herself, she had forgotten all about the contract after being preoccupied with everything that had happened since then. Aiden’s attempt to assault her in the locker room, Paige’s strange hiatus from bullying her and her newfound curly blonde friend, Sadie.

Up until Avery opened her locker, she had been consciously deciding not to think about Aiden. However, when she saw the crinkled corner of his note peeking from until the pile of books she couldn't help it. She found it odd that he didn't remember what he had done.

In that moment of vulnerability, she had thought it was a lie, and even if it wasn't, it didn't excuse his actions. There were multiple reasons why he might not remember, all of which would still make it his fault; drugs, alcohol. Other than the horrid stench of cigarette smoke, she hadn’t smelt anything else on him that night. Though, she also realised that she was a little too occupied to be thinking about how his breath smelt.

When he had chased her into the hall she felt nothing for him but pity, but having woken up on a new day she was beginning to think that perhaps she should have listened to him.

The memory of pure desperation in Aiden's eyes and the pained tears that welled in them shook Avery’s resolve. She wondered how someone could look so incredibly heartbroken if they were just lying to her. Am I missing something important?

With a deep, defeated breath Avery closed the locker, shutting out the thoughts of Aiden as the door clanked shut. I'm just overthinking this.

Avery weaved through the crowd of students towards her first class, her thoughts quickly returning to Azrael. She wanted to know more about him. It had been made clear to her that his past as a human was a touchy subject, and she already knew that she would never hear his story. However, there were still things she couldn't find out about the contract, and perhaps his past clients and even Hell.

Hell. As Avery pushed open the door to her art class she began to wonder what hell might be like. Was it how the bible portrayed it? Flames and rock and death?

It wasn't until Avery walked into art class that her thoughts of Azrael and his contract were finally broken. Her eyes fell on a familiar face, seated in the back row of the classroom.

Ethan had his cheek leant into his palm as he sat, looking bored as he scribbled lazily on a piece of paper.

He wasn't in this class at the start of the semester? Did he transfer in?

Avery's expression twisted into a mixture of surprise and confusion to see Lakeshore Lion's basketball star doodling in art class. This dark blue Basketball jersey that sat loosely atop a white short sleeve t-shirt made him truly look out of place. The boys that found themselves in art class were usually similar to Aiden, taking the subject because they think it’ll be easy.

Avery pursed her lips together as she stared at him. She glanced towards the front desk, her usual go-to spot in most of her classes. However, even as anxiety bubbled in her stomach like butterflies before a race, she found that her feet were carrying her towards him.

I don’t need to be scared to approach him anymore.

Ethan had been so busy with his work that he hadn't noticed the blonde until she stood beside his chair, attempting to look at his drawing.

"I didn't know you were in art" Avery questioned with a nervous smile. As the green-eyed boy shifted his eyes to Avery. His arm moved across his work as he sat up at attention, his arm sitting on top of whatever he had been drawing in or centre of the page.  
The moment that Ethan recognised the long straight blonde hair and light blue eyes, a big smile replaced the bored expression.

"I wasn't, but I'd rather be in this elective than French".

"I thought you would’ve gone for specialised sports" Avery commented, before suddenly realising that she shouldn’t have known this about him, "I just mean… since I've seen you carrying around a basketball".

Avery took a silent breath as she wondered whether her quick cover-up would suffice. Ethan was on the basketball team and their star player, his main wardrobe consisted of basketball jerseys and he was often seen with a basketball in hand. Just like he did in middle school.

"Well, that was my first pick. I was sure I would get in so my second and third options were random. Turns out that was a bad call on my behalf" he rolled his eyes jokingly.

Avery grinned, bringing her hand to her mouth to hide a laugh that threatened to escape her lips. Ethan's eyes softened, noticing the way her cheeks rose so high that he could barely see her eyes as she smiled.

He parted his lips to continue his story but was momentarily distracted by Avery’s expression. He had seen that smile a long time ago, and he was taken back to the cafeteria a few days prior.

That day when he had caught her light blue gaze, he lost all train of thought. Something about those eyes felt so familiar, but he didn’t recognise the pretty blonde that accompanied them. He would have asked her if they had met before but Sadie had interrupted him just as he was about to speak.

When Avery’s smile began to fade Ethan was snapped back into the moment and he continued.

"When I asked to transfer they said that the only electives I could choose from were choir, poetry and this. So here I am" Ethan raised his arms and gestured to the art room to create some dramatism for his story.  
Avery smile resurfaced and she couldn't help but let a giggle escape her lips at Ethan's expense.

Seeing Avery’s smile lift her cheeks back up and the soft laughter that fell from her lips, Ethan’s mouth settled into a soft smile as he gazed at her.

"At least you're in the class too. That's one good thing that came out of this" He mumbled as he watched her.

Avery's heart leapt from her chest and she choked on the laughter which quickly turned into a fit of coughs.

Ethan expression twisted into one of concerned, “Are you okay?”.

Avery turned away from him, covering her mouth as the coughs forced their way through her mouth.

"Yeah- S-Sorry" Avery croaked as she used her fist to tap her chest. She could now feel her cheeks burning and the beat of her heart escalating as she managed to clear her throat.

He only meant that he's glad he has someone he knows in this class. That's all. I can't just be jumping to conclusions like that.

After a few moments of trying to collect herself, Avery turned back to Ethan with a forced smile. I can’t believe that I’m finally able to have a conversation with Ethan Wilson alone and I have a fit of coughs right in front of him - after he said that! I’m such an idiot.

Avery’s cheeks felt as though they had caught fire and she felt as though her ribs could break with the force of her heart against her chest.  
"C-can I sit here?" Avery mumbled, gesturing at the chair beside his.

"Yeah, go ahead"

Avery smiled at Ethan and shrugged her bag off her shoulders, sitting it beside the chair and taking a seat beside Ethan awkwardly.

"I tried to say good morning to you on the bus but you looked so distracted" Ethan began, causing Avery to shift her attention to him as he waited for her response.

Avery's eyes widened slightly at his observation. She had been so caught up in thinking about her dream and staring out of the window that she wasn't even paying attention to the students who were getting on the bus. It must have been the first trip to school where she wasn't eagerly waiting for Ethan to step onto the bus.

For a brief moment, Avery had wished that she never had that dream. If it wasn’t for those longing hazel eyes and full sultry lips, she could have told him ‘good morning’ as he walked past her seat.

"O-oh… I'm sorry" Avery apologised, trying to think of an excuse that had nothing to do with a dark-haired demon, "I guess I was just spacing out".

Ethan smiled and he parted his lips to speak when he was interrupted by a loud authoritative voice and the bang of the classroom door shutting loudly.

"Good morning everybody! Take your seats. Quickly now please…"

Miss Gallagher, the art teacher, had a thick afro of red curls, dark skin and always wore brightly coloured lipstick. Today it was a dark shade of blue.

"Right! Today I have the pleasure to announce that your principal, Mr. McKennon, asked me if my students would be interested in submitting an art piece that will be painted onto the outside wall of the upper level of the gym!"  
This announcement caused whispers to rise within groups of students seated at their desks and Miss Galaghan looked around the room with a grin at the reaction to her news.

Avery couldn’t fathom having her artwork displayed on the side of a building. She was already very private about her drawings, so much so that she wouldn't even let her mother look inside her sketchbook. To have the entire school and passing cars see her work on the wall of the gym was overwhelmingly uncomfortable for her.

After a moment Miss Galaghan continued, "Mr. McKennon said that he had no particular theme or idea for your drawings. Obviously though, it would have to be something that a school could proudly display".

Miss Galaghan turned to a boy who sat in the middle of the classroom, "That means no submitting drawings of an animal smoking marijuana, Mr. Westland!".

At this, the class erupted into chuckles. A boy with long brown hair that was tied up into a bun waved his hand in mock dismissal, "I would never, Miss".

Miss Galaghan gave her student a suspicious look but smiled, "I'm sure you won't".

With a humoured grin, Miss Galaghan took a seat at her desk, "I'm letting you have this lesson to come up with some ideas for this piece. After today though, you will have to work on this in your spare time because we need to work on your art for your final portfolio. Your draft for Mr. McKennon should be submitted to me by next Friday so that a winner can be chosen at the staff meeting".

With that, the room quickly became loud with students talking amongst themselves.

"Are you going to enter?" Ethan was quick to ask as Avery turned in her chair back to him.

"Oh… no…" Avery shook her head softly with a slight smile, "What about you?" She returned the question.

Ethan chuckled as he picked up the paper he had been doodling on, showing the blonde with a grin.

Avery wasn't sure if the creature was supposed to be a dog or a pig. One eye was much bigger than the other, and had something on its head and held a long object in its hand. Avery swallowed a laugh as she stared at the mess of penciled lines.

"It's supposed to be a person in a suit with a cane, but I think it looks more like the animal smoking weed that Miss G said not to enter" Ethan said as he placed the page back down with a laugh.

He wasn't wrong, but she wouldn't say that.

It had been four years since Avery had last spoken to Ethan alone like this. Back then, the pair were only friends by association. Their groups of friends would often play together at lunch because of a known crush between a girl Avery was friends with and a boy who was friends with Ethan.

Even after having spent many lunches together with Ethan, she never really got to learn much about him. She was shy then just as she is now. What she did remember though, was the rainy day that she began to have feelings for him.


	19. Chapter 19

_That day, four years ago, it had been raining heavily._

Avery stood under cover at the front of the school, scanning the empty road and parking lot for a rusted blue ute. She should have known better than to trust her dad to pick her up.

Watching as her friends were picked up by their parents, and the school car park slowly emptying made her heart sink into her stomach.

Avery hadn’t brought a jacket to school that morning and water spat at her bare arms, raising goosebumps on her skin and sending shivers through her body. She wrapped her arms around herself and brushed her hands up and down her arm in an attempt to brush away the sting of water.

“You’re still here?” The voice of a boy called. Avery turned on her heal quickly, almost slipping on the wet concrete as her eyes landed on the green-eyed boy that she recognised from lunch.

Avery nodded, her eyes lowering, “I’m waiting to get picked up...”. Her voice must have sounded sad because he frowned and trudged to her side, swinging his bag from his shoulder and dropping it onto the wet ground. Unzipping the bag, he searched through the books, pulling out a blue hoodie with a white Adidas logo on the front, holding it out to Avery.

“My mum will be here any minute now, so take this while you wait” he insisted with a kind smile. Avery hesitated to take the jacket but when he looked up at her with those deep emerald eyes, she felt her heart melt under their gaze.

“But...” Avery managed in protest before her attention shot to the headlights of a car pulling into the parking lot.

Avery’s hopes rose as she strained her eyes to catch the colour of the approaching car through the rain. Her hope was quickly shattered when the car got close and turned to park beside the pair, a brand new looking silver Landcruiser.

“That’s my mum now,” The boy said as he quickly zipped his bag and threw it on his back. He took a step towards the car but hesitated, turning back to the blonde with wrinkles between his eyebrows.

“Hey, you’re Sarah’s friend, aren’t you?” He asked, searching the blonde’s eyes.

“Y-yeah...” Avery managed to stutter.

The boy smiled and Avery felt her cheeks begin to heat despite the icy breath of wind against them.

“I thought so” He responded before giving a little wave and running out into the ran to get into the passenger seat of the car.

Avery watched as the car pulled away, waiting until the car had disappeared behind the wall of rain to pull the jacket over her head. She will never forget the gentle sweet smell of pine that wafted from the material.

_____

For the rest of the art lesson, Avery and Ethan made small talk. Avery listened attentively as Ethan spoke about his family with such a warm tone.

They were sitting so close to one another that occasionally Avery could feel Ethan’s arm brush against hers and each time she felt electricity buzzing on the surface of her skin where they touched.

When she turned to gaze at his eyes, he would turn to her with a smile and she was happy to know that his smile was meant for her. She was no longer watching from a distance, she was now sitting beside him.

"Anyway, Sadie hasn't stopped talking about you since she met you at lunch the other day" Ethan beams as he caught the blonde’s eyes, "She thinks that you're really cool".

At this Avery blushed. _Does Sadie think that about me? Surely there's a mistake_.

"I don't know about 'cool'" Avery mumbled, averting her eyes.

"Well, what would you say then?" Ethan challenged.

_What kind of person would I say I am?_ This question held a lot more depth than the simplicity Ethan had spoken it, and Avery glanced down at the desk trying to come up with a suitable answer.

"I don't know" She answered hesitantly.

Ethan’s lips tugged into a frown at her reply and Avery quickly reworded her answer.

"I just mean…" She began hastily, looking back over to Ethan, "I'm still finding… 'me'. I feel like I have a lot of growing to do as a person".

"Well then, what kind of person do you want to become?"

Avery hummed as she gazed into his eyes, the gorgeous shade gleaming with intrigue and encouragement as Ethan awaited her answer.

"Someone who can stand up for themselves, someone who has close friends they can depend on… Someone who's happy."

This answer brought a smile to Ethan's face as his gaze shifted between Avery's eyes, "I'm sure that you'll become that person” He encouraged, and before Avery could answer he added;

“I hope I can be one of those close friends too"

Avery's heart jumped in her chest. His words brought her so much happiness and surprise that she had to turn away from Ethan as she felt tears beginning to well in her eyes. _Oh no, not now. Don’t cry!_

Avery brought her hands to her face as she attempted to swallow the sniffles and sobs that were threatening to escape.

"Is everything okay?" Ethan questioned, concern heavy in his tone. He reached his hand towards Avery's shoulder but hesitated, curling his fingers into a fist.

"Yeah, sorry something got into- into my eye" She managed to murmur, letting a single sob slip halfway through her sentence.

Ethan's concerned expression softened as he watched the blonde with caring eyes.

He knew that she didn't have anything in her eye.

He also knew that she hadn’t had anything in her eye when Sadie had offered to be her friend the previous day.

The thought that something as simple as an offer of friendship could bring someone to tears made Ethan feel as though his stomach had emptied. How lonely would someone have to be that they would be overwhelmed with such a simple gesture?

He brought his hand back to his cheek as he watched her subtly shaking body while she failed to completely conceal her sobs. It was clear to him that she didn’t want him to notice her tears, and he wasn’t going to embarrass her by pointing them out. He would instead pretend he didn’t notice, just like he had at lunch.

It was as Ethan watched Avery with adoration while she subtly brushed the tears from her cheeks that he promised to honour those words;

_‘I hope I can be one of those close friends too’_

_____

Avery's heart was still fluttering as she entered the science classroom, wishing that she had more than just a short hour with Ethan. Her heart was still pounding from his caring words, and she was glad that he hadn’t seemed to notice her near-breakdown. It was just lucky for her that the bell rang moments after and he didn’t get to see her face when he had rushed off for his next class.

The thought that he would be at each art class with her from now on made a goofy smile appear on her cheeks. She had only wished that she came to school on Monday so that she could have seen him that afternoon. Art was only twice a week, and that wasn't nearly enough.

It wasn't until half way through the lesson that Avery realised that she didn't smell a vague scent of cigarette smoke wafting through the room. With a subtle turn of her head, she glanced around the classroom for the greasy-haired boy who seemed so desperate to talk to her the previous day. He wasn't in class.

Avery began to wonder where he was. Whether he was just skipping class like he often did or whether he was absent because of her; because of what happened. No, who cared about Aiden Phillips anyway?

Avery turned back to the notes she was writing, trying to rid herself of the thoughts. It was hard for her to ignore the sinking feeling that she should have heard him out. Each time she dwelled on the events leading to his outburst, she felt as though something seemed out of place, but she couldn’t figure out what. All she could do was shove the thoughts aside and hope that she had made the right decision.


	20. Chapter 20

The rest of Avery’s day was relatively uneventful. She spent lunch eating with Sadie who would not stop going on about the party on Saturday. Sadie had bought a new outfit for the night, a cream two-piece that she described as ‘Sexy, but not too sexy’.

Avery felt nervous walking to sport. Apart from the angered glares on the bus and at lunch, Paige and Addison had felt her alone ever since Azrael had appeared a few days ago. Avery was starting to think that Azrael’s threat really had gotten through to Paige, but she wasn’t the kind of person to just back off. Avery felt like the longer Paige left her alone, the worse it would be when she did strike again - especially considering that she’d been speaking to Ethan.

There was an odd atmosphere in the gym. Whenever Paige and Addison turned to Avery, they weren’t wearing their usual scowls, instead, today they were smiling at her. Not a friendly smile, a cruel knowing grin that made the nervousness that had been lying dormant under her breastbone rise.

The last period of the day was English. Sadie looked as though she was just about to fall asleep and Avery was glad that the note-passing wasn’t going to be an every class event. She was worried about getting caught, Avery had never gotten detention and didn’t want to start.

While Sadie slumped in her chair with eyes barely open, Avery took notes finding an odd sentiment in the line, “I must learn to be content with being happier than I deserve” that Mr. Brauner scribbled on the board from Pride and Prejudice.

Sadie followed Avery to her locker after the bell had rung.

“Do you have anything to wear for the party?” Sadie questioned, and Avery’s attention turned to the curly-haired girl as she pushed a stack of books into her locker.

“I was just going to wear jeans and a jumper” Avery shrugged.

She didn’t own anything fancy or cute or sexy like Sadie planned to wear, nor did she have the money to go out and buy something for the party. She was content with just wearing her usual clothes, although a small part of her did wish she could wear something to catch Ethan’s eye.

“You can’t wear that!” Sadie scowled, eyeing Avery’s choice of clothes for her lazy Friday and assuming that she would see it again on the coming Saturday night.

Avery turned to Sadie with a smile, “Well I don’t own a sexy two-piece like you do” she quipped with a short laugh and closed the locker door. The thought of wearing the crushed velvet boob-tube and tight pencil skirt that Sadie had described wasn’t at all appealing anyway.

“Then let’s go shopping together” Sadie pleaded and reached to tug on Avery’s jumper sleeve with excitement, “Let’s go now, the shops are still open for two more hours so that should be plenty of time!”.

Avery glanced at Sadie with a half-smile, “Even if I wanted to, I don’t have the kind of money to buy a new outfit”.

“Then I’ll pay!” Sadie continued to beg. The thought of having anybody give Avery money for something that she didn’t need brought with it a feeling of guilt.

Even if she did want a new dress, she wasn’t going to ask Sadie to pay for it. She would rather just wear her boring blue jeans and a sweater.

“Next time there is a party I’ll make sure to save some money so we can go shopping” Avery answered, watching the excited smile drop from Sadie’s face in an instant.

“Then how about on Saturday, you come over to my house and you can borrow one of my dresses? I can even do your makeup for you” Sadie responded, wanting nothing more than to doll Avery up for her first-ever party.

“Deal” Avery smiled.

“Good! I’ll text you the details” Sadie grins.

The pair strode towards the exit of the school. Sadie had woven her arm through Avery’s and was talking to her about the dresses that she thought might look good on her.

As the pair exited the building their attention was immediately drawn to a bright red sports car that sat parked in the parking lot, a certain curly-haired demon leaning against the bonnet.

“Who is that” Sadie marvelled as her jaw dropped open, staring at the stranger.

Avery felt her heart skip a beat as Azrael’s eye found her and a grin spread across his face.

“Wait? Is he smiling at us?” Sadie questioned and turned to catch Avery’s reaction.

Avery was frozen. She simply stared as Azrael pushed himself off the bonnet of the car, beginning to stride in their direction.

Perhaps she couldn’t stop staring at him because of his sudden grand appearance in the parking lot of her school. Perhaps it was what he was wearing.

The fabric of the white shirt was thin enough to be able to see his tattoo’s beneath and Avery couldn’t keep her eyes off the flowers and skulls that danced over his skin as he moved.

“Avery?” Sadie nudged Avery as her eyes glanced back at Azrael, noticing that he was now walking towards them.

“That’s… Azrael” Avery whispered which caused Sadie’s mouth to drop even further open and stare at her with confusion.

“WHAT?” She managed to both whisper and yell as her eyes switched between the two.

Avery didn’t get a chance to respond before Azrael had stopped in front of them. Sadie was the first to speak.

“H-Hi...” Sadie stuttered as she eyed the handsome stranger.

Azrael gave her a half-smile and a small nod before his attention turned to Avery, “I came to pick you up, let’s go”.

Avery was still in a state of shock as she stared at him with wide eyes. If it wasn’t for the nudge from Sadie she probably would have continued to gape at him.

“W-Why are you here?” She questioned.

For a moment she had forgotten that he was a demon, her expression of pure shock unwavering as she glanced around to see who else was watching this exchange. Anyone within eye shot, specifically the girls, had turned to get a look at the curly-haired, tattooed boy who had appeared at their school so suddenly.

“I thought I’d take you out to shop for a dress” Azrael answered smoothly, “besides, I’m sure you don’t want to have to take the bus home” he held up a small bundle of silver keys that jingled together.

“Aww that’s so nice of you” Sadie beamed up to him and gave Avery a little pat on the back, “I’m Sadie by the way, Avery’s best friend”.

Sadie held out her hand to Azrael and for a moment he just stared at it, eventually letting one side of his lips rise in a crooked smile as he reached out to take it.

“Azrael” He responded simply.

The way that Sadie beamed at the curly-haired boy, you would have thought that she was starstruck by a celebrity. Azrael held a friendly almost-smile throughout the exchange but removed his hand from her grip quickly.

Avery simply watched, noting how awkward Azrael seemed as he shook Sadie's hand. Perhaps he's not used to this kind of thing?

Azrael eyed Avery, "Let's go".

Avery glanced at Sadie who was still staring up at Azrael with twinkling eyes, before looking back up at Azrael with her lips pressed into a line.

"I'll just be a moment" Avery replied, giving Azrael a nod in the direction of the car.

Azrael raised his eyebrow questioningly but sighed and spun on his heel, "I'll wait by the car" he said, tucking his hands in his pockets and striding away from the girls.

It wasn't until Azrael was halfway across the field to the parking lot that Sadie stopped gaping and turned to Avery.

"I heard he was hot but I didn't realise he was that hot!" She whispered excitedly to Avery.

Avery gave a weak grin, "I'm sorry, I didn't realise he wanted to take me dress shopping".

"Why the hell are you apologising?" Sadie grinned widely at Avery, "Your boyfriend wants to take you dress shopping! You're so lucky".

Avery could do nothing but nod and smile as the pink returned to her cheeks.

"By the way, I thought you said his eyes were brown?" Sadie questioned, causing Avery's eyes to widen and turn to the curly-haired girl with a mixture of confusion and horror. If they aren't brown what colour are they? For a moment Avery thought that perhaps Sadie had seen the crimson red that Avery had become accustomed to.

"How can you not remember that deep shade of blue? They are so gorgeous!" Sadie crowed dramatically, bringing her hands to her chest in glee. “Did you not tell me because you wanted to keep it all to yourself or something?”

"Oh, did I say brown?" Avery chuckled nervously, wondering why Azrael had told her brown. Does he decide the color? If so then if he said brown, they should have appeared brown, right?

"Yes, you did!" Sadie confirmed, giving Avery a playful push on the shoulder, "It's okay though, I forgive you"

Avery brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear as she desperately tried to think of an excuse for why she could possibly confuse blue for brown. Luckily, Sadie didn’t seem to need an excuse.

“Hurry up” She grinned, giving Avery a little shove towards the red sports car and the demon who stood staring at the two at the front of the vehicle, “Don’t leave him waiting”.

Avery gives a smile and nodded at Sadie, beginning towards the car feeling as though she had been let off.

Azrael’s eyes are blue?

As she approached him his eyes gazed to her and he smiled. She tried to imagine that instead of the startling scarlet, his eyes were a deep ocean blue but she couldn’t. Against her better judgment, she thought that perhaps if they weren’t the fiery red colour she could imagine him to be human.

_____

As Avery took a seat in the passenger seat of the car, closing the door with a thud, she couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming smell; A mixture of new leather and untouched plastic. Avery turned to Azrael who pulled his seatbelt over his chest, clicking himself into place.

“Where did you get this car from?” Avery asked, now reaching behind her to grab her own seatbelt.

“Section C-3 ‘Azrael can use supernatural abilities of his own will. However if you are unhappy with his actions, you are free to punish the demon as you see fit’” He recited, “I assumed you would have no problem with riding around in a Ferrari California though, right?”

Avery assumed that a ‘Ferrari California’ was the model of car that she was in. She had little to no knowledge of cars but she could tell by the way that Azrael ran his fingers across the steering wheel and the way he eyed the spotless brown leather interior that he did.

She already knew that when Azrael showed up at her school, he would also bring upon her more attention than she wanted. This car was another example of how he would do just that, but Avery felt as though she had no control over it anymore. Either way, come Monday she would be the talk of the school so at least she could roll into the parking lot in some fancy red car.

When Avery didn’t reply Azrael simply grinned and plugged the key into the ignition. He kept his eye on Avery as he turned the key and the car roared to life. Avery assumed that he had expected her to have some kind of reaction to the loud hum of the engine and the growl that erupted when he tapped his foot to the accelerator, feeling the power of the motor vibrate through the seats.

Avery was more interested in the almost excited look in Azrael’s eye as he pulled the car into reverse, “If you have no complaints then let’s go”.

With that the car rolled backward before being pulled into first gear, another low growl vibrating through the car as Azrael touched his foot eagerly against the accelerator, beginning towards the exit.

As the car turned onto the main street, Avery noticed that students who still lingered in front of the school turned to look as they passed. It was probably odd for there to be such a nice looking car driving through such a small town, she probably would have turned her head to see who it belonged to as well if she were in their position.

“Where are we going?” Avery questioned, turning her head back towards Azrael who was still grinning as he reached into the glove box to take out a small black case.

Avery watched as Azrael opened the case to take out a pair of tinted gold rim glasses, tilting his head down so that he could put the glasses on under the thick curls that always covered his left eye.

“For a drive” He stated with a mysterious half smile as he took a turn slightly too fast for Avery’s liking and she reached to steady herself against the leather of the door and dash.

“A drive?” Avery repeated as she flashed him a confused look.

“Stop trying to be so in control of everything and just trust me” Azrael argued as he shot the blonde an exasperated look. When Avery didn’t reply he smiled, “Good”.

It wasn’t long until the streets filled with rows of houses turned into a road surrounded by trees and forest. It was only when Avery spotted a sign that read ‘Thankyou for visiting Lakeshore’ did she realise what Azrael meant by ‘for a drive’.

She sunk back into her seat as she began to wonder where on earth Azrael was taking her. I thought we were going shopping for a dress?

After what felt like minutes of silence Avery finally decided to speak, “Do you like cars?”.

Azrael’s eyes glanced at her before refocusing on the road and Avery decided to add, “It’s just that you looked… I don't know, excited about driving today”.

Azrael chuckled in response to that statement, “You could say that”.

“Why?” She encouraged.

Azrael sighed, realising that the answer he had for that question was not as simple as the blonde beside him assumed.

“It’s not everyday I get to drive a car like this around”

Azrael had hoped that this answer would be enough for the curious human but those hopes crumbled when Avery continued;

“Why not? You can just make it appear out of thin air, right?”

All of the excitement had drained now that he was being faced with these questions. He knew he didn’t have to respond, it was none of Avery’s business after all, but he hoped that with a response she would think more carefully about future questions.

“I’m a contract demon. It’s rare for me to get to do things like casually walk to school, go to parties and take a drive like this” His voice was low and exasperated, it was clear to Avery that he didn’t want to have this conversation.

“It’s rare for a demon to be contracted to someone who allows them to do such mundane things”. Azrael let another long deep sigh fall from his lips.

He leant against the door with his cheek to his palm, driving with one hand. Avery couldn’t stop staring at him as he stared through the windshield of the car, she hadn’t realised that her simple question could bring with it such a negative mood.

Perhaps more importantly, she hadn’t thought about the kinds of ‘owners’ that Azrael might have dealt with in the past. He could be forced to do anything by a simple demand, and if she wanted to treat him horribly and ask him to do awful things he would have no choice but to obey her.

She couldn't even begin to imagine the kinds of things that wicked people could force upon him, and if he said ‘no’ he would be tortured in hell.

“I’m sorry” Avery muttered, now wishing that she knew more about him so that she could avoid this conversation in the future.

She was wise enough to know that she wouldn’t get anywhere asking about his past, she only hoped that with time he would open up to her more. Maybe then she could be for him, what he was for her.

“I’m sorry too, I don’t like talking about my history. There is nothing good about it, and I promise that you’re better off not hearing it” Azrael explained, attempting to give Avery a sideways smile so that she could move on from this trainwreck of a conversation. Avery didn’t say anything in response, she was just glad that Azrael had forgiven her.

Azrael turned on the radio and minutes ticked by filled only by the slow melody of music being played softly throughout the car. Avery stared out of the window of the car, spending a lot of time thinking about what Azrael had said.

She now understood why he had walked to school with her the day after they had met when he could have left her to walk alone. She understood why he had agreed so quickly to go to the party that Ethan had invited them too. Maybe he had also made up the story about transferring into school because he wanted to spend his time there. If this was in fact how Azrael looked when he died, it was possible that he was still in high school then and he never got to graduate. Maybe that’s why...

Avery was snapped from her thoughts when Azrael spoke, “We’re not too far away now”.

Avery turned to Azrael and a soft smile graced her features. If he didn’t get to graduate she wanted him to be able to have a great year, just like that one he was making possible for her. To experience the things he rarely got to experience, even the mundane things. To be happy, just like her.

“If you could do anything in the world, what would it be?” Avery asked, hoping that whatever the answer was, she would be able to make it possible for him.

A smile broke on Azrael’s face as he considered this question and he glances to Avery as he says, “If I could, I would go back in time and fix the mistakes I made. But I can tell by your thoughts that you were hoping for something you can actually do...”.

Azrael felt a sensation of gratefulness that he had found a human that for some odd reason, considered his happiness. Even if it would only be for the short time he would be contracted to her.

“Let’s start with the party and see what other trouble we can get into after that.''

Avery pushed aside feelings of curiosity at his initial answer and she smiled back at him. When their eyes briefly locked Avery felt a strange sensation that she couldn’t describe in her chest, almost as though the exchange carried with it warmth for one another. I want to be happy together.


	21. Chapter 21

‘Welcome to Emmerdale’ 

Avery recognised the name of the town immediately. Emmerdale was a town seventy miles east of Lakeshore and much bigger, although it was nowhere close to being called a city. It also happened to be the town her mother worked in.

Azrael glanced towards Avery, eyeing her expression as she looked out of the window at the buildings and shops. 

It was already getting late, but there seemed to be quite a few people visiting the brightly lit restaurants and bars that lined the street. It was the first time that Avery was reminded of the city, although it was nothing compared to the skyscraper buildings and bustle of city nightlife.

“Why are we in Emmerdale?” Avery asked, turning to eye the dark-haired boy as his gaze returned to the road. The car slowed to a stop at a set of lights allowing a crowd of restaurant goers to pass. Many of the pedestrians turned to look at the car, and then to inspect the person who drove it. 

Azrael gave a smile as a group of younger men gawked at the Ferrari as though it was a beautiful woman wrapped in crimson, and Avery noted the proud glint in the demon's eye as he glanced back at her.

“We’re going dress shopping, remember?” 

Avery wondered why the pair of them had drove forty-five minutes to the next town just to buy a dress, “Why didn’t we just go to a shop in Lakeshore?”.

“Because,” Azrael began, tapping his foot to the accelerator after the light had turned green, “I didn’t like the dresses in there. I came here earlier today to see if these shops were better, and I found one I liked”. 

Avery was taken aback by this information and her eyes shot to the dark-haired boy who had turned his eyes back to the road. 

“You came here? Just to find a dress for me?” 

Avery felt a confusing mixture of gratitude and bewilderment. She had assumed that Azrael wouldn’t be the kind of… being… to go out of his way for someone else. 

He is a contract demon, and his entire goal is supposed to be getting her to spend her life on him. Yet, he went out of his way to find a dress shop, even going as far as searching in the next town over. It just didn’t make sense to Avery. 

“Why not?” Azrael dismissed, pulling into a half-full car park and stopping in front of a shop called Angela’s Formal Dresses.

There were about a million reasons why she hadn’t expected him to go through this much trouble for her. Against Avery’s will, she thought back to what Miss Edal had told her before she had so blindly signed the binding contract; 

‘Today demons are servants of the Devil whose goal is to lure humans to sin. They are created to be 'evil' and so to have a righteous demon would be counter intuitive’

But… how could Azrael be ‘evil’, he didn’t force her to do anything, he hadn’t even encouraged her to use his powers. How could taking her dress shopping lure her to ‘sin’? Shouldn’t he be whispering into her ear about revenge and motivating her to make bad choices?

It just doesn’t make sense.

Avery let a silent breath slip through her lips, eyeing Azrael as he pulled the keys from the ignition and popped his door open. 

_____

The shop bell gave a light chime as Azrael opened the door, standing to the side to let Avery pass through first. Avery gave him a nod of thanks before stepping inside, her jaw dropping open at the overwhelming sight that greeted her.

The boutique's floor to ceiling windows let in sunlight which reflected off of the large glass chandelier. Light bounced off glittering dresses that hung gracefully throughout the store and Avery knew that she would never be able to afford anything in a store that looked so elegant. 

Avery stood, stunned as Azrael moved past her and began looking over the clothing racks with a critical eye. It wasn’t long until he plucked a champagne coloured dress off its hook, taking a moment to inspect the garment before haphazardly throwing the dress into Avery’s arms. 

Avery almost let the shimmering dress fall to the ground in her surprise but lifted her arms just in time to stop the material from touching the spotless white tiles. 

Azrael was quick to wander back to the clothing rack, perusing another row of gowns, taking little notice of Avery’s bewildered expression. 

Avery took the opportunity to inspect the item, holding it aloft in front of her. The garment was a thigh length halter that shimmered in the sunlight. Hesitantly, she reached for the tag that hung from a slim golden chain and nearly choked when she saw the price. 

“I can’t afford a dress like this” Avery hissed as she shifted her grip to hold the dress with her finger tips, not wanting to touch something that was far more expensive than anything she owned. 

At this Azrael chuckled and turned to her with a smile, tugging a lavender gown out of a row of purple shaded dresses, “Relax. I want you to look good for your first party”. 

Avery frowned, feeling as though there must be some kind of catch. 

“But...” she began to argue but quickly decided against it when Azrael gave her an exasperated frown, “Stop complaining, it’s not going to cost you anything”.

Avery brought her bottom lip between her teeth, wondering how many times Azrael would continue to give her things that she didn’t deserve. Was there a reason behind his kind gestures? A secret motive behind every generosity? Perhaps, Avery thought, I need to stop looking for the bad in him.

_____

A few minutes later, Avery’s stood with four dresses draped over her arms. The lady standing at the counter of the shop was staring at the pair of them as Azrael ran his fingers through another row of dresses. 

When he saw one that he liked he tugged on the fabric, inspected it for a moment, and then pulled it from the rack and draped it on top of the other dresses in Avery’s arms.

“I think this will do for now” Azrael laughed as he noticed Avery’s arms beginning to shake under the weight. 

“Go and try them on” he instructed, pointing at the large pair of rooms sectioned off by cream curtains. 

Avery nodded, barely able to see over the pile of heavy dresses, and made her way to the small room. She struggled to pull the thick curtain closed behind her as she switched all of the weight to one arm, dropping the white sequin dress and pink plunge neck that were on top. 

It took Avery a minute to organise the five dresses on the hooks, and another minute to decide which dress would be first. When she opened the curtain to reveal the champagne dress, Azrael was sitting in one of the black leather lounge chairs that faced the changing rooms. 

He looked Avery up and down indifferently and then shook his head, “next”. 

With a roll of her eyes, Avery walked back into the changing room and began to undress. 

It took Avery ten to fifteen minutes to remove a dress, place it back neatly on the brass coat hangers and then shimmy and zip herself into the next. Perhaps that wouldn’t have been too much of an issue until almost an hour had passed and she had repeated the process four times.

Azrael had the same reaction when he saw the blue frilled dress, lavender pleated gown and pink plunge neck. He shook his head, flicked his wrist in dismissal and simply stated, “next”.

Avery sighed in annoyance as she turned in the pink plunge neck, holding the loose fabric which hung much too low on her chest and trudged back into the changing room. 

There was only one dress left on the hook and it was a floor-length ivory gown that would cling to her every curve, a long slit running up the side of the skirt sequined skirt. If Avery was honest, she already didn’t like the look of it. It looked uncomfortable and far too formal for a high school party. 

With another exasperated sigh she reached for the zipper on the back of the pink dress and after a few moments of tugging, the zip began to slide down her spine. 

As Avery stepped out of the pink garment, the heavy curtain rustled behind her and she jumped, positioning the white gown to cover herself. Avery looked over her shoulder to see Azrael’s pale hand and tattooed wrist holding a dress through the curtain that was much different than the four she had already tried.

“Try this on” Azrael encouraged, his voice slightly muffled behind the thick curtain.

Avery took the dress and became instantly enamoured at the way the sequins seemed luminous in the almost harsh lighting. She looked into the mirror as she pressed the fabric to her body, her lips curling into a smile of adoration. She had never in her life seen a dress that looked quite this beautiful.

With a new sense of hope, Avery stepped into the dress. It wasn’t until she had zipped herself in, brushed her golden locks over her shoulders and looked at her reflection that she was suddenly overwhelmed with an emotion she couldn’t describe. 

Her fingertips lightly trailed over the small beads that sparkled on the bodice as a smile slowly spread across her face. She gave a small spin and a quiet giggle bubbled past her lips, she pressed a hand over her mouth in an attempt to squash the sound but couldn’t help another slip through her fingers. She hadn’t realised until this moment that she could look this elegant, and that something as simple as a dress could make her feel so overwhelmingly happy. 

When Avery stepped out of the dressing room, she pinched the hem of the dress and gave a nervous little twirl. She could feel her cheeks beginning to warm as her eyes settled on Azrael’s, watching as his eyes wandered down the dress and then back up to meet her gaze. 

Azrael almost didn’t recognise the shy timid girl that he had been shopping with. The girl in front of him now was a gorgeous woman. When he had picked out the dress he thought she would look great in it, but now as she stood in front of him, he realised that she looked more beautiful than any girl he had ever met. 

Azrael’s eyes softened as a smile grew against his lips, “This is it”. 

The words brought an excited smile to Avery’s face as she looked down at the layers of fabric against her thighs and brushed her hands over the beading. 

Azrael couldn’t take his eyes off of her as she pressed her fingers to the fabric in the same way he had the steering wheel earlier that day. Even though the dress was beautiful, it was the girl wearing it that made it perfect.

_____

Avery hadn’t realised how long they had spent inside the boutique until she sat waiting in the passenger seat. The rear view mirror reflected pink and orange skyline behind the car. 

She was so busy staring at the mirror that she didn’t notice Azrael walk out holding a large flat box in his arms until she heard the pop of the boot and the view in the mirror was stolen by polished red metal.

Avery watched Azrael as he strode to the car door, pulled it open and swung his body into the leather seat. He gave Avery a short glance before pulling the silver key chain from his pocket and plugging the key into the ignition.

“Ready to go?” Azrael asked absentmindedly as the engine started with a roar.

Avery’s eyes saddened as she realised that after this drive, this whole experience would be over. She wasn’t ready to go yet, and she parted her lips to say something, but instead, she brought her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down. 

Azrael gave the blonde another glance as he pulled into reverse, turning his attention to the rear view mirror as he backed out of the parking lot.

_____

The low romantic music of the radio made Avery’s heart sink lower and lower into her chest as each minute of their drive passed and she stole glances at the silent boy who held both hands on the steering wheel.

Would I get to do something like this again?

Avery sat silently in the passenger seat, trying to come up with some excuse for this night to last even just a little bit longer. 

She knew, though, that with one glance he could read her mind and see right through her lie, and when the ‘Welcome to Lakeshore’ sign came into view, she knew she was too late.

The red Ferrari rolled up to the curb in front of Avery’s small white house just as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, leaving the street dimly lit by the street lights. 

With slow, hesitant movements Avery opened the door, turning in her seat to get out but was interrupted when Azrael spoke.

“Avery” he began in a soft tone.

Avery sat for a moment, her back to the dark-haired demon as she collected her thoughts. She didn’t want him to hear her. To hear her plea for this afternoon to last just a little bit longer, even if only another silent forty-five minute drive. 

Avery clenched her fists together, and for a moment she hoped that when she turned to look at him, he would ask her to stay for just a few more moments.

She took a short breath and then put on a half-smile, looking over her shoulder. 

Azrael's crimson eye watched her attentively as she waited for him to speak.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 7:30 for the party”.

Avery suddenly felt her heart fall into the pit of her stomach and she nodded quickly, turning away from Azrael and stepping out of the car. 

The cool night breeze brushed against Avery’s skin as she took an unsteady breath and turned back to the dark-haired boy, feeling as though weights had suddenly appeared in the place of her heart. 

“Goodnight… and… thank you for today”.

Azrael smiled and gave the blonde a small nod. 

With that, Avery closed the car door with a thud, her lips falling into a frown as she watched the car pull away from the curb and disappear down the street.


	22. Chapter 22

Avery trudged up to her bedroom, noting how she seemed to have felt behind something when she had closed the door of the car. Her chest now felt hollow and her body felt heavy.

The darkness of the bedroom only deepened the empty feeling in her chest, and she leant back against the door, feeling the wooden door click shut behind her. She didn’t understand why she felt so lonely, she would see him again tomorrow night when he picked her up for the party, she could even see him again now if she could find the nerve to call him. 

With a defeated sigh she pulled her shoes from her feet and threw them hap-hazardly onto the floor. Why didn’t I just say something? I could have asked him to stay.

Even the thought of it made Avery feel so flustered. She brought her hands up to her face and rubbed her eyes in exasperation wondering what exactly happened that caused all of these mixed emotions to collide after today's events.

What would he have thought if I asked him to stay? I couldn’t just do that out of the blue. Then what? We’d be alone in this room together… and...

Avery’s eyes drifted to her bed, her cheeks lighting pink and her heart lifting back into her chest as she eyed the vacant sheets, imagining him sitting against the backboard, his fingertips gliding down her back. 

Is that the reason I want him to stay?

It was too embarrassing to think about, her heart had returned in a fit of thumps that she felt against her rib cage. But it can't be? 

Avery shook the thoughts from her mind, tapping her closed fist to her chest, begging the stampede to calm enough for her to think properly. Stop. 

After a moment, Avery lifted her eyes, glancing at the shoes she had thrown in frustration. 

With a sigh, she picked them up, wandering towards her closet door and reaching for the handle when suddenly, she froze.

Her eyes widened as a shiver racked from her fingertips all the way up her arm and then through the rest of her body. She thought she must have gone crazy. It was the same cold that she had felt each time that Azrael had appeared suddenly before her.

With a sharp breath she turned, scanning the room for the dark-haired demon, her lips dropping open when she saw his figure standing by the window. He held the flat blue box which had Avery’s dress in his arms. 

“You forgot this”.

Avery felt a fluttering sensation in her stomach as Azrael wandered towards her bed. His eye seemed to glow in the darkness. The silver-blue ray of light from the window outlining his figure as he moved. 

Avery could do nothing but gape at him as he gently placed the box at the end of her unmade bed. Azrael was attractive during the day, but at night Avery couldn’t help but stare at the silvery glow that danced over his tattoos. He seemed so much more captivating in the light of the moon.

Perhaps if she wasn’t so bewitched by him, she would have realised that as he turned to look at her, he could hear thoughts. A charming smile quickly curled the demons lips as he began to move towards her in slow strides. 

Azrael stopped so close to Avery that another inch and their chests would meet. Avery’s eyes widened as he raised his hand, taking a palmful of her hair in his hand. The silk brushed against his skin as he lowered his hand and Avery felt as though he had travelled back in time to the night he had promised to protect her.

Azrael’s eyes flickering to Avery’s, crimson red meeting cloudy blue.

“If you wanted me to stay, you should have asked”.

Avery gazed up into Azrael's eye as he let his hand fall, the remaining blonde strands untangling through his fingers. Avery parted her lips to say something but then she felt something warm graze past her hand and her eyes darted to her side.

Azrael’s fingertips brushed against her knuckles. Hesitantly Avery unclenched her hand, allowing his fingers to press against her palm. 

"Let me take you somewhere".

Avery’s attention was pulled back up to Azrael, a thoughtful smile now captivating her as she felt his hand begin to lift hers. The way these words fell from Azrael's lips so seductively, pulled Avery into a momentary daze. Almost as though in a trace, she nodded, her gaze unwavering. 

Azrael’s smile turned into a grin then suddenly the floor fell out from underneath Avery's feet. 

Avery’s hands hastily latched onto Azrael's arms, her eyes clenched shut. Avery’s forehead tilted forward into Azrael’s chest as she tightened her grip, her stomach in her chest as she felt herself falling. 

Then, as though just missing the last step of a staircase, she felt her feet press against a flat surface, the cold breath of wind biting at her cheeks. 

When Avery unscrewed her eyes, she looked around to realise that she now stood outside. 

Azrael watched as Avery looked around in confusion, an amused chuckle escaping his lips as he watched her look around in bewilderment.

It was when Avery turned to look behind her that she finally recognised where she was, the question was how she had gotten there. She could see the school parking lot across the field below, and the bus station beyond that. When she turned to look to her right she noticed the big solid red door that she had only seen from the pathways below but had never walked through. She stood on the second floor landing of the school gym.

“But how-” Avery begins, turning towards the dark haired boy that she was still clutching tightly in her grip. Noticing the way that her hands were still clutching onto his upper arms, Avery's eyes widened and her cheeks reddened. With a soft shove, she pushed herself back from the dark-haired boy, taking a few steps away from him.

The corner of Azrael's lip curled into an amused smile at the blonde's actions and the flustered thoughts that followed them. He had tried not to stir up those amusing thoughts all afternoon so that she could focus on finding a dress, he was glad he could see the expression again.

With another entertained chuckle, Azrael averted his eyes, turning to look up at the starry sky above, his grin being replaced with a serene expression.

Perhaps it was the way that his red eyes seemed to twinkle in the light, but Avery suddenly found that her heart was beginning to calm. 

“I like it up here” Azrael begins, glancing around. 

The second landing was a small square balcony-like area that was off-limits to students. A knee-height concrete barrier ran the perimeter of the landing, a large cubic industrial vent sat in the centre. 

A cold breeze blew through Avery and she wound her arms around herself as a shiver ran through her. Azrael turned to look down at Avery who stared at him with a look of confusion. He ‘likes’ it up here? Does that imply that he had been here before? Avery thought.

Azrael smiled, “Yes, I have been up here before”.

Avery’s lips dropped into a frown, not appreciating how the demon had eaves dropped on her thoughts again.

“Stop listening!” Avery grumbled, feeling yet another cold breath through her thin jumper and clutching the fabric with quivering fingers.

Azrael’s expression dropped when he noticed her hands shaking subtly. Then suddenly, Avery felt material being thrown around her shoulders. 

Wide eyed, she looked up to notice Azrael now standing inches in front of her, wrapping a soft blanket around her back so that she became cocooned in the fabric.

In a daze Avery glanced up at him, her hands reaching up to grasp the fabric at her chest.

With feather light fingertips, Azrael placed his hands on her shoulders, his fingers travelling the length of her upper arm to smooth out the fabric.

Avery’s heart skipped a beat as Azrael’s eyes caught her own and a gentle smile grazed his sharp features.

“Come, sit” He instructed, nodding in the direction of the concrete barrier and placing a hand on her back, guiding her towards it.

As the pair approached the ledge of the building, Avery couldn’t help but let her eyes drift down to the solid concrete below that paved the front of the gym. The second landing was quite high, and for a brief moment she thought that anyone who fell from this high could die. 

Avery was pulled from her morbid thoughts when Azrael’s hand pressed against her back, “You shouldn’t be looking down when you have such a beautiful view above you”. 

Avery bit her lip as she glanced toward Azrael, taking a seat on the ledge before looking up.

Azrael was right. 

Above, a thousand stars glistered the dark sky. She hadn’t noticed just how beautiful the night had been. Avery had grown up in the city, the bright lights always drowning out the sparkling stars, and in the short time she had lived in the country, she had never taken a moment to simply look up.

Silence fell over the pair as a minute passed in appreciation of the view.

It was in this silence that Avery remembered the promise that she had made herself that morning, and her eyes dropped wearily to Azrael. She had promised herself to finally get answers about the contract, to ask him the questions that had gone unanswered. 

Bringing her bottom lip between her teeth, she glanced out over the parking lot, hesitating to bring up the contract when Azrael gazed up at the sky so peacefully. The last thing she wanted was to say something to ruin this moment, but she needed to know.

“That night… that I signed your contract. I never got to ask you all my questions...” Avery began, keeping her eyes on the distant dim-lit street below. 

Azrael briefly turned to eye the blonde with an unsure expression, before his attention drifted back up to the stars, “Go on”.

Avery’s hesitated, her tone quiet and thoughtful, “The requests… how do you decide how much extra life they should cost?”.

Azrael smiles. In one swift movement he pivoted, swinging his legs over the side of the building and letting them dangle below.

“Well, it depends on the request”.

“Well… what if someone wanted to cure cancer?” Avery questioned curiously.

Azrael glanced at her for a moment, slightly surprised by her very specific example. 

Silence once again fell over the pair and Avery turned to Azrael, noticing that he seemed to be thinking about his response carefully. Avery thought that if it was possible, surely someone would have done it already. Unless, demons purposely didn’t choose ‘good’ people… people that would make requests for the greater good?

“Think of it like equivalent exchange; each request is measured based on the impact that request would have on the mortal world” Azrael paused, taking a thoughtful breath as he considered how he would explain what he meant.

“Curing cancer would save many human lives. Therefore, to request something so large scale would require much more than one short human life. Without an army of sacrificial souls to make up for the people who live, the request could not be completed”.

“Oh” Avery responds, her eyes glancing down to the concrete below in contemplation. 

It made sense. If requests like that could be made the world could be changed quite easily. If it were that requests had that kind of power, surely someone would have noticed that something supernatural was going on. So if something so large scale was not possible, what about saving… or killing one person? Since it’s an ‘equivalent exchange’, would that mean that it would cost one human life to kill another?

“It’s important to recognise that not all human life is worth the same amount” Azrael began, interrupting her thought. Avery’s eyes darted up at the dark-haired boy frowning because he had obviously read her mind again. Perhaps if the topic was anything else, she would have told him off again, but she wanted to know more about the contract and how it worked. 

“Take a serial killer” Azrael continued, “If someone requested to kill a serial killer before their life is destined to end, it would cost more than one life”. 

At this, Avery’s nods crinkled and she glared at him with confusion. It was clear to Avery that Azrael expected just that explanation to have been enough. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Think about it. If a serial killer dies before he is supposed to, then his future victims would live. Therefore, the serial killers death is disturbing the destined death of others. Their ‘impact’ on the world is then greater than the person who is making the request. In this case, a serial killers life is then ‘more valuable’ than the requestee’s life”

Avery is taken aback by this. As much as she hated to admit it, it made sense. It was the fact that Azrael’s example mean’t that the life of a murder was worth more than an ordinary person. That is what bothered her. 

Azrael watched Avery as her lips set into a deep frown and added;

“Serial killers aren’t the only people whose lives are ‘more valuable’. There are multiple people who have big impacts on the world. Politicians who make laws that stop refugees from entering safe countries, scientists or engineers producing products that save many lives. Doctors. It could even be someone as simply as your neighbour who at one point in their life, saves or kills someone else accidentally”.

With each word that fell from Azrael’s lips, Avery became more and more confused. While she had asked these questions and wanted to hear the questions she didn’t realise it was all so complicated. Some human lives being worth more than others? People having a ‘destined death’ - a destined time to die? She understood what he was trying to explain but it was so hard to accept, these were questions ordinary humans asked but would never have the definitive answers to. 

Avery pursed her lips, trying to sort through all of the information. 

Azrael watched the blonde silently, realising only when he heard her jumbled, messy thoughts that what he had said was not just common sense. He remembered the first time he heard these truths, he had reacted in a very similar way.

“I’m sorry” Azrael began, “I didn’t mean to say things that would bother you”.

Avery shook her head, keeping her eyes fixated on the concrete below. There was something that he had said that now replayed in her mind. 

“You said, people have a ‘destined’ time to die?”

Azrael watched Avery cautiously, almost as though trying to decide whether he should be telling her anything more than he already had. This kind of information though, was hers to request.

Azrael nods, “Each human is born with a life span. When that life span is up, that human will die”.

This, Avery didn’t understand. While she is under contract, each day that passes is a day that she loses from her lifespan. She would be dying before her destined time. So what would happen to her?

“What happens to someone who is losing time from their lifespan?”

Azrael lets a long sigh escape his lips, not wanting to give her the answer, “They will still die in the same way they were supposed to, only earlier. Destiny cannot be avoided.”

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	23. Chapter 23

After such a heavy conversation Avery and Azrael sat in silence for a few minutes.

Avery was finding it incredibly hard to take in everything. She hadn’t thought about her death, and the way that the contract would impact that. She had buried that reality deep down inside of her, expecting that it wouldn’t be something she would need to think about. Not anytime soon at least.

Azrael seemed to realise that Avery needed a moment to let everything soak in, so he sat, still and quiet. Every now and then, he would steal a glance at her; at the sparkling pale blue eyes that stared off into the distance as though seeing an entirely different world, and the soft blonde waves that bunched under the blanket.

He could hear the intruding dark thoughts that she was struggling to shake. If he could offer any solace for the hard truths he had told her tonight, he would. The truth was though, that he knew much more than what he was telling her. Those parts though, where much better left untold.

Azrael took a deep breath, the sound disrupting the silence and pulling Avery back down to planet earth.

“Don’t think so hard about it” Azrael murmurs, unable to meet the blondes eyes, “You don’t need to worry about those things right now”.

Avery simply stared at the crimson gaze that seemed so far away as those words left his lips. The dark curls blew ever so subtly in the wind, and Avery couldn’t help but begin to feel a little better. 

He was right, she didn’t need to be thinking so hard about this. She knew what signing the contract meant and now, she had Azrael sitting by her side under the stars. It is worth it.

Avery smiled, deciding not to let these thoughts ruin her amazing day. 

She thought back to how Azrael ran his fingers through the row of dresses earlier, piling dresses upon dresses onto her arms. The gentle smile on his face as he looked her up and down in the dress that now sat in the blue box on the end of her bed. She remembered how he looked sitting in the driver's seat of the car, his tinted gold-rimmed sunglasses covering his eyes... and brief moment that she thought of him as a human in her dream. 

“Today...” She began quietly, catching Azrael’s gaze as he turned to look at her, “Sadie said to me that you have blue eyes, not brown”.

Azrael pursed his lips, his eyes darting away uncomfortably. This reaction brought with it a wave of confusion. He looked as though he had been caught in a lie.

“Did you know…. That they would appear blue?” Avery questioned, tilting her head forward to try and catch Azrael’s expression.

“Yes” Azrael sighs, his hand lifting to cover the glowing crimson, his fingertips pressing into his temples with vexation. 

Avery could tell that Azrael didn’t want to explain himself. It was clear that he had lied to her about his eye colour. It was the way that his lips had pressed into a frown, and his palm covered his eyes that made her regret bringing up something that bothered him - even if he had lied to her. 

In the few moments of silence that followed Azrael’s simple answer Avery had decided she wasn’t going to press any further, but to her surprise, Azrael continued. 

“My eyes appear blue to humans, because that was their natural colour… when I was human”.

The still silence continued as Avery watched Azrael curiously, trying to imagine what he would look like with blue eyes instead of the dark crimson she had become accustomed to. Why had he lied to me? Why did he want to hide the natural colour of his eyes?

“But why-” 

Avery’s heart skipped a beat as Azrael dropped his hand from his face, turning to look at her with a pair of bright blue eyes. The colour reminded her of the crystal clear shallow waters of the ocean, the waves that glistened from the light of the sun. 

“Beautiful” Avery mumbled under her breath, enchanted by the glistening cyan.

Azrael struggled to hold eye contact, bringing his lip between his teeth as he looked away in frustration. 

“I hate them” He grumbled, bringing his hand back up to his face to cover them.

Avery didn’t understand. His eyes were absolutely gorgeous, she would trade her pair of pale blue-grey eyes for the colour that he hid behind his hand in a heartbeat. 

“Why?” She whispered.

“Because” Azrael swallowed a breath that lingered at his lips, “These eyes belonged to my father”. 

When Azrael’s hand slipped from his face, the blue had been replaced with demonic red, and he turned away from Avery. Why did I tell her that?

In all the time that he had been a demon, he had never once told anyone anything about his past. Not even the woman who pestered him to tell her each day that he had served her. So why did these words slip from his lips so easily now? Sure, he had chosen her because she was ‘different’ from past clients, but this… this he hadn’t expected.

Avery had chosen to stay quiet, she didn’t know what she should say. She knew by now that these kinds of topics would always anger Azrael whenever she tried to press them. Slowly though, it seemed that he was opening up to her, and she found comfort in that. She thought now, that perhaps the pair of them had something in common; resentment towards their fathers.

Azrael startled when he felt the gentle press of ice cold fingertips against his exposed arm. His eyes darted down, watching as Avery’s fingers clasped his lower arm, a half-smile resting sorrowfully on her face.

“I hate my father too” Avery admitted, feeling a sense of relief wash over her as the words left her lips.

Azrael’s eyes held a look of bewilderment as he stared down at the blonde. It was such a human gesture that brought with it a fluttering sensation in the pit of his stomach. One that he had long forgotten. 

Azrael felt a spark ignite in his chest as he searched her eyes, watching as the stars seemed to dance through them when they switched between his. What is this feeling? 

Then as though the moment had passed by too suddenly, Azrael felt her touch slipping away and he quickly reached to take her wrist with a firm grip.

“Can you leave it there... Just for a while?” His voice was barely audible in the still night.

Avery’s heart skipped a beat as she glanced down at the pale fingers that curled around her skin. Then, hesitantly she looked up at Azrael who was quick to avoid her gaze, his eyes darting away anxiously as his hand lifted from hers..

Avery didn’t know why he had asked her to stay holding his arm. Nor did she understand what exactly made Azrael suddenly seem so much more human to her - even with the glowing scarlet of his eyes. What she did know, was that whatever it was, she liked it. 

A smile began to form on Avery’s lips as she followed the avoidant eyes of the dark-haired boy who seemed so much closer now than ever before. 

Tell me more about you, she wished silently, I want to be closer to you.

Azrael’s stomach seemed to empty as he felt Avery’s hand leave his arm, a feeling of stupidity filling the void. Why had I said something so stupid?

Then, Azrael felt something press down onto his lap and he turned to look down, seeing Avery’s head resting against his thigh. She had swung her legs onto the concrete wall, now laying still, facing out into the empty field and parking lot.

Azrael swallowed, raised his arms with uncertainty as he felt Avery adjust her head against his leg. He felt as though he had suddenly been handing something so delicate and fragile, and he had no idea how he should respond. He parted his lips to speak when he heard Avery’s quiet voice.

“Can we stay like this… Just for a little while?” She murmured.

Azrael let a long steadying breath escape through his lips, one that seemed as though it had been held at the back of his throat for a long time. He didn’t understand what was making him suddenly feel so flustered. It wasn’t as though he had gone without physical contact with a human. It wasn’t unheard of that clients used him for comfort. But this, this felt different. 

Avery heard the sharp breath fall from Azrael’s lips, and smiled when he didn’t respond. It was unlike her to be so bold, but in that moment she thought that maybe, Azrael needed someone to comfort him. 

She wondered how long it had been since someone had been this close to him, to share a moment like this with him. If she was being honest with herself, she wanted to be closer to him too. Was she just doing this for herself?

After a moment of hesitation, Azrael lowered his arm to press against the blonde’s upper arm. Avery thought that perhaps it was just the chill of the wind that made his fingertips seem to shake ever so slightly against the blanket.

Minutes seemed to tick by silently, and with each passing moment Avery’s eyes began to feel heavier and heavier. Whenever she allowed them to stay shut for more than a moment, she could feel herself drifting off. 

Azrael noticed as Avery’s thoughts began to drift away until he couldn’t hear them anymore, and he knew that she had fallen asleep.

A soft gust of wind blew messy blonde strands out from behind Avery’s ear. With care, Azrael lifted his hand from the blonde’s arm. His fingertips gently brushed against Avery’s forehead as he swept the stand back behind her ear. 

Then, with a silent breath, Azrael brought his fingers to the blonde’s cheek, using the back of his knuckles to brush against the flushed soft skin. He noticed how peaceful and vulnerable she looked as she slept, how her lips were parted ever so slightly to let the gentle warm breaths escape.

Azrael brought his lower lip between his teeth as his eyes flickered down to the concrete below, a pang of guilt flooding through him. 

She really was different, but not for the reasons that he had chosen her for.


	24. Chapter 24

“Avery” Susan’s voice startled the blonde awake. Avery lazily rolled in her bed to face her mother, her hair sticking up every which way, still half asleep. “I just wanted to tell you that I’ve been called into work today and I won’t be home until late!”. 

Avery responded to this information with a vague nod, before her head fell back onto her pillow. The light that had streamed into her room from the hallway quickly disappeared and she heard the click of her mother’s heels as she descended the stairs. Avery quickly drifted back off the sleep, glad that her dream had not faded in the few seconds of consciousness.

This time he had blue eyes. A gorgeous sapphire that twinkled down at her as his fingertips rubbed circles on her back. She pressed her head to his chest and listened to the rhythm of his heart, feeling safe and warm.

_____

Avery’s eyes fluttered open hours later. She rolled onto her back, bringing her hands up to rub her eyes which struggled to adjust to the bright light streaming in through her window. 

“What time is it?” She mumbled with a lazy tilt of her head towards the clock on her side table; 11:23am.

She let a loud groan escaped her lips as she pulled herself into a sitting position. This was the first time all week that she had gotten to sleep in, but she hadn’t intended to have wasted most of her day. She had planned to work on Miss Edal’s report today before-

Avery’s half-closed eyes caught on the flat blue box which laid lop-sided on the floor under a decorative pillow. The party.

Thoughts of the previous day ran through her head like a reel of film; Azrael’s surprise appearance with his fancy red car, the trip to buy a dress and then the gym roof. 

Avery could feel her cheeks beginning to heat as she remembered laying her head down on his lap but a more pressing thought was quick to push aside her embarrassment. 

Wait? How did I get in my bed? 

In sudden panic, Avery frantically tugged the heavy duvet from her body, noticing only now that she had somehow lost her jeans and changed into her light grey pyjama shirt. 

What?

Avery’s hands found her face and she dug her fingertips into forehead. She brought her legs into her chest as she failed to remember anything about getting back home. Don’t tell me he-

Gurrrrrrrrr

A loud grumble erupted from Avery, the lurching of her stomach reminding her that she hadn’t eaten dinner the previous night. 

Avery pulled herself to the edge of the bed, tucking some unruly blonde hair behind her ear as she staggered to her feet. The collar of her oversized shirt fell to hang loosely against her right shoulder, the fabric hanging low enough to reach her knees. 

I can worry about how I got home later, first I need breakfast and a shower.

Avery shuffled towards her door, pulling it open and headed down stairs. The kitchen was empty and she was glad that she didn’t have to speak to anybody so early in the morning. For once her morning would be peaceful. 

Avery took a carton of milk from the fridge, next collecting cereal and a bowl from the cupboards. It was when Avery was beginning to pour the white liquid into her full bowl that she heard the front door unlock and the sound of a group of people stumbling into the entrance of the house.

Avery's eyes shot to the kitchen entrance just as two unfamiliar females, her sister Gwen, and a handsome boy sauntered into the kitchen’s entrance. The two girls were clearly friends of Gwen’s. They wore the same heavy black eye makeup and dark coloured lipstick. 

The first girl was tall and skinny with bright red shoulder length hair. The second was short and chubby with dark hair like Gwen, only with many facial piercings. 

The boy had long dark brown hair that had been pulled back into a small bun on top of his head and large hazel eyes.

The moment that he had laid eyes on Avery, he had scanned her figure up and down and a half-smirk appeared on his lips as he stared at her.

“Dude, put some clothes on when you come downstairs” Gwen grumbled, giving her little sister an unapproving scowl as she lifted a plastic bag onto the kitchen bench. Avery had instinctively brought the carton of milk in front of her chest as she surveyed the guests. Noticing the girls wearing the same expression as Gwen.

Avery averted her eyes, looking down to inspect the items Gwen was unpacking.

Beer? 

“But...” Avery began, watching as Gwen carried the two 6-packs of alcohol towards the fridge, “Mum...”

Gwen sighed in exasperation as she placed the drinks down and practically slammed the fridge door shut, startling Avery. 

“Mum will be out until late, didn’t she tell you?”

With a nervous glance back towards the two unfamiliar girls who were glaring Avery down with disapproval, and the boy who was still staring her down with an uncomfortable smirk, Avery parted her lips to continue. 

“I swear to god Avery, if you tell mum, I’ll kill you” Gwen growled, pointing a threatening finger in her direction.

Avery swallowed and shut her mouth, still clutching the carton of milk to her chest regardless of the condensation that was dampening her shirt. 

With another angered sigh, Gwen turned on her heel toward her guests, “Sorry about my little sister, don’t worry about her. Let’s go”.

Avery watched as the girls gave her a final judgemental look before they turned to follow Gwen towards the stairs. 

Avery’s eyes shifted to the boy with hazel eyes, noticing that he still lingered in the doorway. His eyes had been settled on Avery during the entire exchange with that unpleasant half-smirk tilting the corner of his lip upward. 

“Mav, hurry up” The red-head called as the trio reached the bottom of the stairs in the next room.

The boy held eye contact with Avery for a few more seconds before he turned and followed the girls up the stairs. It wasn’t until he disappeared from sight that Avery realised that she had been holding her breath. What was with that expression?

Avery shook his image from her mind as she reached for the lid and screwed it back onto the milk carton, her feelings of vulnerability quickly being replaced by bitterness when she opened the fridge to see the two 6-packs of beer.

‘If you tell mum, I’ll kill you’

Avery was sick and tired of how Gwen always treated her like such a nuisance. She hated that on the rare occasion that she see her sister, Gwen would always say something mean and yell at her over stupid things. 

She was angry that regardless of how she was treated, she was expected to keep Gwen’s rule-breaking secrets. Not only now when she was drinking underage behind their mother’s back, but all the times she had seen Gwen smoking at school, and even last year when Gwen had gotten a small tattoo on the back of her neck that their mum still hadn’t noticed.

Avery had always been the good daughter. She helped mum with housework, got good grades, and never, ever broke the rules. When would it be her turn to break the rules for once?

With a long annoyed breath, Avery closed the fridge door and turned to collect her bowl from the counter before heading for the stairs. She had planned to eat her cereal at the kitchen table but after the unpleasant encounter with Gwen and her friends, Avery thought it best to go back to her room and stay there.

_____

Sitting down at her desk, Avery opened her laptop and turned it on, wanting to spend at least a few hours of her day being productive before tonight. 

On Thursday Miss Edal, the religion teacher, had asked for a report. Avery could choose any topic as long as it was covered in the first few weeks of the semester. She already knew that she would be writing about demons, it would be strange of her not to considering recent events.

After scrolling through and reading the first few Wikipedia articles that showed up, Avery quickly realised that most of the information she had heard during Miss Edal lectures in class. That demons were fallen angels who worship satan and try to encourage humans to follow the path of evil.

Surely, there was more to demons that that? Azrael seemed much more complicated than the typical ‘demon’ described in these articles. 

Avery’s eyes rolled down to her feet as she wondered whether there would be any information that was more than just the re-telling of her religion lessons. After all, much to Avery’s dismay, demons were just legend to humans, though she knew better than that now. However it did mean that anything written about them was nothing more than speculation.

It was when Avery’s eyes fell upon her pink, gatorade-stained bag that she remembered the book that Miss Edal had given her. 

Avery reached to unzip her bag and take out the small blue book, reading the silver letters on the cover as she ran her fingers over the fabric ‘Uncovering True Demonology, Written by C. Edal’.

She leant back in her chair as she opened the cover and once again scanned the contents page;

Demonic Origins Page. 5

Nature of Demons Page. 37

Well-known Demons Page. 76

Acts of Demons Page. 104

Demon Abilities and Inabilities Page. 132

Inner Workings of Hell Page. 169

What is still Unknown Page. 201

References Page. 211

About the Author Page. 214

Credits Page. 215

Even though Avery was supposed to be writing about demons, the title that caught her attention the most was ‘Inner Workings of Hell’. She wondered whether anything written under that subheading could possibly have anything to do with ‘The Agency’.

She flicked through the pages, scanning the numbers until she found page 132. 

In bold lettering at the top of the page read, ‘Inner Workings of Hell, and Demon-kind’. Avery began to read;

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Research into the structure of hell suggests a hierarchy of demon-kind whereby Satan rules at the top of the ladder. As discussed in ‘Nature of Demons’, there are multiple different kinds of demons, all of which have a different role in Lucifer’s plan to enslave human-kind. This in itself suggests a hierarchy where demons assigned increasingly important roles are higher-class, and those with mundane or smaller roles, lesser-class.

Five levels of hierarchy have been proposed by Baggman and Hagus in the 2005 book ‘Demons and Hierarchy’, the first of these being the ruler, Lucifer. 

Below Lucifer, ‘The Inner Circle’, which is constituted of demons who work directly under Lucifer's order. There are a small number of these demons, however no exact total has been calculated. Some of these demons include the four horsemen of the apocalypse; Conquest, War, Famine and Death. Another is Lilith, an entity mentioned in the bible as the first wife of Adam who left to the Red Sea to birth demon spawn. These demons, and others in ‘The Inner Circle’ are discussed further in a previous chapter, ‘Well-Known Demons’.

The next level, called ‘The Outer Circle’ are demons responsible for organising the various workings of hell. Some of these workings include the organisation of lesser-demons to carry out orders, managing punishment or torture and overseeing branches of ‘demon specifics’. (Covered in ‘Demon Abilities and Inabilities’). 

The fourth level, ‘Worker Demons’ are demons who work in the branches of ‘Demon- Specifics’. Some of these branches include, Torture and Punishment, Slave work, Possession demons, Contract demons-  
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Avery took in a sharp breath as she read the two words.

“Contract demons?”. Her eyes widened as she scanned back a few sentences, re-reading where to find more information about ‘Demon-Specifics’ before she turned back to the contents page.

“Page 132... page 132...” Avery mumbles as she once again began to flick through the pages, this time much more frantically. 

As the bold title, ‘Demon Abilities and Inabilities’ flashed on one of the pages she paused and began to read once again, reading as quickly as she could;

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Much to the belief of many mythologists, demon-kind are not created equally. A book written by Monica, Carnes and Delagore in 2001 suggests that demons are gifted with different abilities either at creation or by Lucifer himself. These abilities then make specific tasks or roles only capable of being performed by specific demons, hence the term ‘demon-specific’ which means ‘roles within hell filled by demons of a specific capability’.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Avery turned the page to see the subtitle ‘Punishment and Torture Demons’ and realised that ‘Contract Demon’ would likely come under another subtitle. 

She turned the pages roughly, glancing each sub-heading until finally, on page 167, at the very end of the chapter, she found the subtitle ‘Contract Demons’.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The term ‘making a deal with the devil’ comes from the ‘Demon-Specific’ branch of Contract Demons. As implied by their title, these demons are tasked with signing contracts to human-beings. 

Due to popular media surrounding demons, many believe that a contract demon will grant a wish at the expense of a human’s soul. However, more reliable sources such as Monica, Carnes and Delagore in the 2001 book ‘Demon’s Diversity’ and Demetre, Finley and Edwards in the 2007 book ‘Demon-Specifics’ suggest that this popular belief is inaccurate.

These sources instead propose that contract demons offer their services to humans in the form of slavery in exchange for the humans life-span. It is believed that tasks performed by the demon determine the amount of life-span stripped from the human. This life-span is then added to the life-span of the contract demon.

Interestingly, Demetre, Finley and Edwards also state that while contract demons seem to work for the increase of their own life-spans, there is an organisation responsible for controlling these demons in ‘The Outer Circle’ (Discussed in ‘Inner Workings of Hell’). 

Contract Demon abilities and inabilities are not as linear as other Demon-Specifics. Some Contract Demons are capable of great paranormal feats such as mind-control, possession, time-alteration and seeing into a second dimension while in the human world. Other, lesser Contract Demons, are only able to perform small feats such as mind reading, telekinesis and teleportation. 

Therefore, ability and inability is difficult to judge in this demon-specific role. As such, understanding why specific demons become or are selected as Contract Demons is difficult. More research into this Demon-Specific is needed in order to greater understand this role.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Avery dropped the book onto her legs as she took in the information she had just read. To her disappointment, there wasn’t much that she didn’t already know. 

However, she had learned one thing, Azrael didn’t have the ability to alter-time or possess other humans - that is what the contract states. So did that make him a lesser contract demon?

Avery felt her head beginning to swarm with questions about hell, the agency, and Azrael’s abilities and she leant forward to pressing her forehead onto the desk. Why is it that when I get answers, I always end up with more questions?

DING!

Avery startled as her computer chimed loudly, the screen flashing on after the hibernation it had fell into while Avery was reading.  
Confused, Avery tilted her head up, glancing at the pop-up notification in the corner of the screen, ‘New Message From: Sadie Miller’. Avery’s eyes widened and she sat up quickly and pulled her chair up to the desk, moving her mouse to click on the message.

‘Hey! I know that you went with your boyfriend to get a dress yesterday, but I was wondering if you still needed to get your hair and makeup done? We could do it together?’

A smile appeared on Avery’s face and just as quickly as contract demons had swarmed her mind, they suddenly disappeared, replaced with excited thoughts of hanging out with the person Avery considered her best friend.

‘That would be awesome! I hadn’t even thought about hair and makeup to be honest...’

‘In that case, is it okay if I come over to your house? I’m bored out of my mind and want to be anywhere but home’

Avery briefly wondered whether something had happened at Sadie’s house to make her want to leave, but decided that perhaps it was just her boredom.

‘Yeah, that’s fine!’

‘What’s the address?’

‘12 Needlewood Street, when will you get here?’

‘I’ll be there in 30 minutes!’

‘Okay! See you soon!’


	25. Chapter 25

Avery had finished her cereal in a matter of seconds, leaving milk pooling in the bottom of the bowl as she rushed into her closet to find some clothes.

Within a handful of minutes she had showered and washed her hair, although the amount of time she had spent trying to dry the snarl of blonde knots felt more like an hour. 

The thought of finally having a friend over filled her stomach with a swarm of butterflies, and she couldn't shake the smile that crept back onto her cheeks every time she thought about Sadie. 

Avery strode back into her room, feeling refreshed and clean after her shower when her eyes caught on her bare mattress. Her blanket and pillows had been strewn across the soft carpet in her sleep. Not wanting to appear messy, she rushed over to her unmade bed, throwing her duvet and pillows back on in a semblance of order. 

Her head swung around as she searched for the final pillow, spotting a flash of pale blue fabric on the other side of her bed. She climbed onto the mattress and crawled to the other side, tugging the pillow onto the bed to find the light blue box still sitting lop-sided underneath.

She moved to sit at the edge of the bed and reached down to pick up the box, gently uncreasing the edges and fixing the lid back into place. 

A soft smile painted itself on her face as she thought back on her trip with Azrael, how gorgeous she felt when she saw herself in the boutique’s mirror. 

With the shake of her head she pushed aside the desire to put the dress on again and placed it down on the bed beside her.

I wonder what Sadie will think.

_____

Avery sat at the kitchen island, her phone on the bench in front of her as she waited for Sadie to message her when she arrived. Time seemed to tick by so much slower now that she wasn’t rushing around, and as each minute passed, the nervous excitement in her stomach turned from a slow simmer into a low boil. 

It wasn’t until Avery heard the creak of the wooden floor boards behind her that she realised someone else had entered the kitchen. 

Avery startled and spun around, finding the large hazel eyes of the boy that had stared at her with such a strange expression earlier that morning.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you” The boy apologised, holding up a pair of empty beer bottles that he gripped between his fingers. 

Avery didn’t know what it was but something about the boy made her feel uneasy, especially now that it was just the two of them. 

Perhaps it was the fact that he was tall and muscular looking, or that he looked at least two years older than her. Maybe it was just the fact that he was Gwen’s friend, and Avery had already decided that any friend of Gwen’s wasn’t good company.

The boy moved towards the bin, dropping the pair of bottles inside with a loud clink and Avery lowered her gaze, feeling more self conscious than ever in his presence.

“You’re Avery, right?” He asked as he opened the fridge and pulled out a new bottle of beer, “Gwen’s little sister?”.

Avery glanced up at him, bringing her hands together nervously under the bench. His eyes were fixed on her as he closed the fridge door and twisted the cap off to take a short swig.

Avery nodded, averting her eyes away from him again. She couldn’t keep eye contact with him, the more that she saw that lop-sided grin, the more uncomfortable she felt.

“I’m Maverick” He introduced, placing the golden bottle cap on the counter beside him and resting against the cupboards. 

Perhaps it was the long awkward pause after his introduction, or the way Avery’s eyes stayed glued on the black screen of her phone, but Maverick moved to lean against the kitchen island across from Avery.

“I see that you’ve changed out of that oversized shirt” He commented, tilting his head in an attempt to catch the blonde’s eyes. 

Avery was taken aback by the strange topic change. After her shower she had changed into a pair of light grey track pants and a plain blue shirt, and this time she had put a bra on knowing she would be in company.

“I have a friend coming over” Avery answered, her eyes flicking up to him briefly in an attempt to make the conversation less awkward before she continued to avoid his gaze.

“Oh, that’s unfortunate, you looked cute in that shirt” 

His voice was quiet and appreciative as he ran his eyes up and down Avery’s form, taking in newly-revealed curves.

Avery suddenly felt the butterflies that had been fluttering in her stomach turn to lead. Those words reminded her of Aiden, of the revolting whispers he had murmured in hot breaths against her skin.

She parted her lips to say something, but she couldn’t seem to form a response. What exactly was she supposed to say? 

While his words had brought with them an unease, Avery thought that perhaps it was normal for older boys to talk to girls like that. Flirting? Was that what he was doing? If that was the case the last thing Avery wanted to do was make a big deal out of it.

Avery forced her eyes up to his and gave him a small, uneasy smile, parting her lips to speak.

Ding!

Avery’s eyes darted back to her phone which had lit up with a new message. 

‘I’m here! Let me in!’

“That must be your friend now” Maverick assumed, “I’ll leave you alone then. It was nice to meet you Avery”.

Avery’s eyes followed the boy as he strode around the counter, beer in hand and headed for the stairs. 

Avery sat for a moment, glad now that his intimidating presence had disappeared up the stairs along with the lead in her stomach. 

Though, now that the uncomfortable unease had left her, she felt a little bad for her avoidant and distant behaviour. What if he was just trying to make friendly conversation with her? She had probably come off incredibly rude.

Avery stood, shaking the thoughts from her head as she began towards the door.

_____

“Avery!” Sadie grinned as the large wooden door swung open.

Sadie was dressed in similar attire to Avery; a black pair of track pants and a white crop top with a small rainbow printed on the front. Clutched at her side was a small purple suitcase, the canvas straining from the contents within, clearly having been packed to the brim.

The moment that Sadie had seen Avery, she dropped the suitcase with a thud, leapt up the porch steps and flung her arms around the blonde’s shoulders, pulling her in for a hug. 

“I’m so excited! I bought all of my makeup and hair stuff!” Sadie beamed as she pulled away from her stunned blue eyed friend.

Avery had been unprepared for such a physical greeting but once her eyes met Sadie’s twinkling brown eyes and bright grin she couldn’t help but let a smile tug at the corners of her lips.

“I’m excited too” Avery responded.

“Good!” Sadie clapped her hands together before bouncing back down the stairs, “Hold the door open for me and I’ll carry my case inside”. 

“Okay” Avery took a step back and pushed the door open as wide as it could go.

She watched as Sadie took a deep breath and took the handle of the suitcase in her hands. Sadie lifted, her face twisting into a strained expression as she heaved the case up the first of the three steps, only barely managing to lift it high enough. 

Avery’s smile dropped as she watched Sadie take another deep breath, lift with all her might, and pull the case up the next step. Then, with one last heave, she had managed to get the suitcase onto the porch, though not without beginning to puff from the effort that it had taken.

Avery was now watching Sadie with concern.

“Sadie…?” She began, “My bedroom… is on the second floor...” her tone sounding almost apologetic. 

Sadie’s jaw dropped slightly at this statement, and she looked past Avery, only now seeing the long staircase beyond the front door. Sadie grimaced as she glanced back at Avery with perplexation.

“Oh”.

_____

It had taken the girls twenty minutes to lug the heavy suitcase all the way up to the second floor and into Avery’s room.

Sadie collapsed onto the floor, her chest visibly rising and sinking as she took in deep breaths, reaching up to wipe some sweat from her forehead.

“Remind me… to… bring less stuff… next time...” She breathed, rolling her eyes in Avery’s direction with an exhausted smile.

Avery tried to laugh but she began to cough when her lungs retaliated. She leant back on the closed door and slid herself down into a sitting position. 

“There must be at least... five bricks... hiding in your bag” She joked, having to pause to take the same deep breaths as Sadie. 

Sadie began to laugh breathlessly, and for a few moments both of the girls laid limply, both struggling to laugh and breath at the same time. 

After a minute, Sadie began to sit herself up, finally feeling as though she could breathe again however her mouth now felt as dry as a desert.

“Do you have any water?” She asked, “I’m so thirsty".

Avery nodded slowly getting to her feet, “Yeah, me too. I’ll go and get some, back in a moment”.

With a soft click the door had closed behind Avery and the sound of soft steps could be heard beyond the door as she descended the stairs.

Sadie gave a deep sigh as she slowly got to her feet, peering around Avery’s room. 

The room was relatively small. Against the wall opposite the door was a large window with white flowing curtains rustling in the breeze flowing through. 

To the right of the window, a small corner of the room was walled off and Sadie assumed that it was Avery’s closet, being able to see multiple shirts and pants hanging through the slightly ajar door. 

Next to that, a small light-coloured birch wood desk sat with a line of books against the wall and a small silver laptop closed in front of the chair.

The bed sat against the wall to the left of the window. It was a double with a light blue duvet and at least seven blue and white pillows of different shapes. On either side of the bed was two small drawers the same wood as the desk. 

It was when Sadie’s eye caught the light blue box at the end of Avery’s bed that she stopped looking around. 

Curiously, she wandered towards the bed, taking a short glance towards the door and wondering if it would be okay if she saw what was inside. Slowly she pulled the lip up, intending only to glance the contents, but as Sadie saw the gown inside her eyes widened in awe.

"I'm back" Avery announced, opening the door with some difficulty as she held both glasses of water in her hands.

"Avery!" Sadie gasped, holding the dress up in front of her with twinkling eyes. 

Avery’s eyes caught Sadie and the glimmer of the dress, and she smiled at the expression of astonishment on Sadie’s face as she put the dress to her chest and looked down at it.

“It’s so beautiful! Where did you find a dress like this in Lakeshore?” Sadie beamed, reaching down to press her fingers to the shimmering skirt, feeling the stones against her fingertips.

The smile grew on Avery’s face as she watched her friend take a slow spin, still holding the fabric to her body. 

“Azrael took me to Emmerdale to pick out the dress, he said that he didn’t like any of the dresses here” Avery answered, walking towards the desk and placing the glasses of water down.

“Wait!” Sadie stopped, spinning quickly to face the blonde, “Are you telling me that your boyfriend looked inside all the dress stores in Lakeshore and then travelled to the next town to pick out a store with dresses that he liked?”

Sadie’s expression had twisted into bewilderment, her jaw hanging open and her eyes wide with disbelief.

Avery nodded, and Sadie’s jaw managed to drop even further, “What? That’s crazy!”.

Avery couldn’t say anything so she just took a seat at the desk and continued to smile at her awestruck friend. 

To Sadie it sounded as though Azrael had spent hours searching through the limited dress stores in Lakeshore before driving forty-five minutes to Emmerdale to look there. Avery knew though that Azrael had a much more efficient way to travel. He probably could have done it in under half an hour if he teleported to each of the stores. Though she was still grateful for his effort nonetheless. 

“Tell me where you got your boyfriend because I want one!” Sadie grinned as she placed the dress down on the bed, making sure to flatten the fabric out elegantly.

Avery broke into a chuckle. She was sure that if Sadie knew where Azrael had come from, she wouldn’t be so enthusiastic about getting her own.

“Alright! It’s about three-ish now, so we have about three hours to get ready!” Sadie says, walking over to where the purple suitcase had been left by the door, “I need to make your hair look all pretty and then do your makeup and my own!”. 

Sadie pulled the suitcase towards the desk, struggling less now that no stairs were involved, and pushed it onto its side. 

She must have brought every single makeup and hair styling tool that she owned. 

Sadie began pulling out the hair tools and placing them in a pile next to the desk; a hair straightener and a hair curler, a hair dryer, an entire jar of bobby pins - long and short, two bottles of hair spray - one with a pink and one with a blue top, multiple different coloured hair ties in a plastic bag and lastly, a plastic container that looked full of hair accessories from beads to bands and bedazzled hair clips.

Avery simply sat in astonishment, now holding the same expression that Sadie had worn a few moments earlier as she held up Avery’s dress. 

Next was the make up. The first was a large selection of bottles of different colours, shapes and sizes. Next, a pile of makeup pallets with many brand names that Avery did not recognise. Lastly, Sadie pulled out two plastic containers, the first was filled with make up brushes of all different sizes, the second a larger box with sticks of eyeliner, eyebrow pencils, lipsticks and lip glosses. 

“Right!” Sadie began, getting to her feet with a small circular mirror which she sat on the desk in front of Avery, “That’s everything!”.

Avery was still looking dumbstruck by the sheer number of makeup and hair products that had been laid out on her desk and in a pile by her feet. 

“There is so much...” she mumbled.

Avery knew how to do some basic make up; eye liner, light foundation and a little eye shadow, but she had no idea how to apply half of the products laid out in front of her.

Sadie grinned, stepping behind Avery’s chair so that Avery could see the curly haired reflection of her friend in the mirror behind her. 

“You think so?”

Avery couldn’t tell if Sadie meant that sarcastically or not but didn’t have the chance to ask before Sadie began to string her fingers through the blonde’s hair.

“Aw, your hair is so soft! I honestly envy you Avery, it’s so long and pretty and wavy. Meanwhile, my hair is a mess” Sadie smiled, leaning forward to wrap her arms around the blonde’s shoulders, placing her chin against the top of Avery’s head.

“Really?” Avery gushed. She couldn’t remember the last time that a girl had complimented her appearance. The truth was though that Avery wished she would have the pretty coils that fell in ringlets over Sadie’s shoulders.

“I like your hair, it’s so curly and cute. Maybe we can swap?” Avery joked.

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you had to try and tame this mess every morning” Sadie laughed, moving her hands to place them on Avery’s shoulders, “We’ll start with your hair and then do the make up, okay?”.

Avery smiled, watching as Sadie leant to pick up the curling iron.

“Okay”.


	26. Chapter 26

Time flew by as Sadie curled Avery’s hair. The conversation seemed to flow so naturally between the two girls. Avery talked about her older sister, specifically how annoying she was, and Sadie laughed along, tell stories of similar experiences with her cousin Ethan. 

Each time Sadie began a new story about Ethan, Avery couldn’t help a little smile curl at the corners of her lips. She loved hearing stories about him, and she fondly remembered the short art class they had spent together. 

‘I hope I can be one of those close friends too’

Avery hadn’t completely about the words that had made her feel such an intense happiness. She looked forward to seeing him at the party, and with any luck, they could spend some more time together and she could get to know him even better.

After Sadie had finished doing Avery’s hair she began the make up. 

The conversation shifted to the party and Sadie began to ramble about who would be there and what it would be like. Avery listened as Sadie went on to talk about Ethan’s friends; Scott and Hayden, who Avery had only ever seen with Ethan from a distance.

“Scott’s super duper nice and cute. He’s the one with the afro. Sweetest guy ever, totally not my type thought but I’m sure that you guys will get along super well” Sadie explained as she twisted the tube of lipstick, “Relax your lips a bit”.

Avery swallowed, parting her lips as Sadie pressed the lipstick gently to her bottom lip, spreading the bright colour in small strokes.

“Hayden on the other hand is a bit of a douchebag. Don’t get me wrong, I like the dude, he’s just a little bit slow and tries to act all macho even though it doesn’t suit him at all. He’s actually super smart though, I was surprised when Ethan told me that he gets good grades. He looks like a delinquent with his blonde tips”.

Sadie lowered the lipstick and looked over her work with a critical eye. A wide grin gracing her features after her inspection.

“Just one last thing” She said, reaching for a small spray bottle of clear liquid amongst the mess of used brushes and open pallets on the desk. 

“Close your eyes” She instructed and Avery did as she was told.

Avery flinched as she felt the stray of cold water on her face and she heard Sadie chuckle at her reaction.

“It’s setting spray, so my work will stay looking glamorous all night” She explained.

Avery opened her eyes to see Sadie looking down at her with her hands on her hips, beaming.

“You can look now” she said, gesturing towards the mirror on the desk.

Avery turned in her seat towards the small mirror and the moment that she saw her face, her eyes widened and her bottom lip dropped open.

It was gorgeous. 

Avery had no words as she gaped at her reflection, recognising the pale blue eyes and light complexion but finding it hard to accept that it really was her.

“I...” She began, bringing her fingertips to her cheek to lightly press against the skin. Avery smiled, and for a brief moment, she thought that she would begin to cry. 

With a deep breath, Avery forced down the happy emotions that threatened to bubbled over and turned towards Sadie with an expression of gratitude.

“I love it”.

Sadie’s smile grew and she once again wrapped her arms around Avery, “I’m glad! You’re going to look stunning tonight! I can’t wait to see what your boyfriend thinks when he sees you!”

Avery suddenly felt that familiar fluttering in her chest as she tried to imagine how Azrael would react seeing her like this. She wondered if he would look at her with that same soft expression that he held when he first saw her in the dress. The one where he smiled at her in such adoration, his eyes twinkling, unable to look away.

Heat began to rise in her cheeks and she suddenly wondered why she looked forward to seeing that expression again. Like a boyfriend gazing lovingly at his girlfriend. 

“I can't wait either...” Avery answered, knowing deep down that it was true, although she convinced herself that she was simply saying what a real girlfriend would.

“Okay! I have to do my make-up and hair now” Sadie announced, giving Avery a couple of taps on the shoulder, “I need this seat!”.

Avery stood, moving out of the way as Sadie took a seat in front of the mountain of makeup on the desk. Sadie was quick to pick up a light blue bottle, squeeze the clear liquid onto her fingertips, and then begin to rub it into her cheeks.

Avery stood behind her brown-eyed friend, there was a heavy sense of guilt that Sadie had gone to all this effort to make her look and feel so beautiful yet she couldn't return the favour. She wanted to be able to do something in return.

"How do you plan to do your hair?" Avery asked, watching Sadie’s reflection with curiosity.

"I'm not sure… I'm going to try and straighten it. Maybe a sleek ponytail or a cute little bun?" Sadie suggested, "Which do you think?" Sadie gazed back at Avery through the mirrors reflection.

"I’m good at braids… maybe I can do some braids into a bun or ponytail for you?" Avery suggested, pressing her fingers together at her waist nervously. 

“Really? That would be great! You’ll still have to straighten it though. My iron is down by your feet” Sadie grinned enthusiastically and pointed to the pile of hair supplies on the floor next to the desk. 

Avery had no experience straightening hair, but she knew how to curl and figured that straightening must be easier than that. 

She reached down and took the iron, quickly found a place to plug it in behind her desk, and after a minute of letting the iron warm, began to straighten the unruly curls on Sadie’s head. Avery got the hang of it relatively quickly, though she was nervous of burning her friend of somehow messing it up.

“So tell me more about Azrael, he seems so mysterious” Sadie inquired, putting dots of a pale cream coloured foundation seemingly at random on her cheeks and forehead.

“Azrael…?” Avery questioned, faltering for a moment as she began to wonder what Sadie wanted to know.

You would have thought that by now Avery had actually come up with some kind of story about their past together so that she would be prepared for a moment like this, but she hadn’t. 

“Yes, Azrael! When I met him the other day he was so… cool and collected. I’ve never met a guy like him, all the boys at our school are gross and stupid” Sadie laughed.

Avery let a little chuckle escape her lips at Sadie’s commentary before her lips settled into a small smile, wondering once again how exactly to explain Azrael. 

“I guess he does come off that way. Most of the time he is like that… but I think there is a lot more to him” Avery answered, watching as a bundle of Sadie’s hair fell against her back, now straightened.

“Like what?” Sadie probed curiously, having paused to look at Avery’s reflection in the mirror.

Avery’s lips curled slightly as she thought about Azrael. Her eyes fixed on Sadie’s blonde locks in a daze as she took another small handful of hair and clamping the straightening iron at the roots. Images began to flash through her mind. 

She saw Azrael sitting in the driver’s seat of his red car, an enthusiastic grin on his lips as he smoothed his hand over the steering wheel. 

She saw Azrael perk up as she exited the changing rooms wearing the dress that now laid on the bed behind her, the gentle smile that graced his features as he looked her over in adoration.

She saw Azrael beside her, lit only by the silver light of the moon as he gazed at her with bright blue frustrated eyes, showing a brief moment of vulnerability and defencelessness.

He has emotions and feelings despite… despite what he is. He really cares about my feelings and does what he can to make me happy and feel safe. He has an entire past that he’s locked away behind his mysterious persona. A past that, every now and then, he shares a small snippet of with me. He’s more than just… a demon. 

Avery had fallen into such deep thought that it wasn’t until Sadie had raised her hands and clicked her fingers in front of Avery's face that she came back to reality.

Avery shook her head as she looked down at Sadie’s reflection in confusion, trying to remember what she had been asked. 

A wide grin formed on Sadie’s face as she watched her friend look back at her in puzzlement. 

“You really do like him a lot don’t you?” Sadie beamed, watching as Avery’s cheeks very quickly lit in bright pink. 

“W-what?” Avery stuttered, embarrassment now hollowing her insides.

“I asked you about him, then you smiled and literally left this planet for an entire minute looking completely love-struck” Sadie giggled bemusedly.

Avery felt those familiar butterflies fill her stomach as she realised just how that must have looked to Sadie, but it wasn’t like that. 

Azrael was nothing more than the demon that protected her from Paige and Addison. It would be impossible for her to 'like him a lot' anyway; after all she is a human and he is a demon. Even if it was possible it could never be that way. She only considered him a friend, and there was nothing beyond that. Was there?  
_____

6:30pm approached quickly and the girls both began to change into their outfits.

Avery had opted to change inside her closet. It felt strange to her to get dressed in front of somebody else. Nobody but her mother had ever seen her in nothing but underwear, and that was only because she had walked in without knocking once. 

Sadie brushed her pony-tail over her shoulder, smoothing down her short cream body-con skirt and pulling the matching boob-tube top up a little higher, waiting for Avery.

When the closet door opened with a click, Sadie turned excitedly, her face lighting in awe as she eyed the nervous blonde.

Avery clasped her hands together in front of the dress, gazing red-faced at Sadie. 

“You look stunning” Sadie complimented, a sparkle in her eyes as she held eye-contact with her blue-eyed friend.

Avery had thought the same about Sadie.

Sadie had a gorgeous figure, she had a relatively large bust and hips, complemented with a small waist. The tight fitting two piece really helped to accentuate this. Her smokey-eyed makeup was flawless and much to Avery’s delight, the two braids which were threaded with glistening beads and tied tightly into a pony tail really completed the look.

“So do you… you look so mature and beautiful” Avery responded shyly.

Sadie’s eyes travelled down Avery’s dress in admiration but then quite suddenly, she frowned, her eyes flickering back up to Avery’s.

“Where are your heels?” Sadie questioned.

Avery pursed her lips together, glancing down at her bare feet for a brief moment before she answered, “I don’t own any heels… I was just going to-”.

“Hold on a minute” Sadie interrupted, raising a solitary finger to silence her friend, “We can’t have you wearing something so gorgeous only to not wear heels!”.

Sadie turned and hurried over to the suitcase that still laid open on the floor beside the bed. She flipped the lid of the case over and unzipped the front compartment, pulling out a pair of black heels with small bows attached on the back of the ankle strap.

Sadie walked back over to Avery, holding the heels out to her with a big smile, “I was planning to wear these tonight but I’ll just get Ethan to drop by my house so I can get a different pair”.

Avery took the heels in awe, gazing gratefully at Sadie. She wondered how many more times she could possibly accept Sadie’s kindness and what she could possibly offer in return for such generosity and selflessness. 

“Thank you...” Avery smiled, taking a step towards Sadie and wrapping her arms around the blonde’s waist gently.

Sadie was temporarily stunned, having not expected Avery, who was always so shy and timid, to do something so out of character. She wrapped her arms around Avery’s shoulders with a grin and pulled her friend in more tightly. 

After a moment, Sadie pulled away, “Anytime! Now try on the heels to make sure they fit properly”.

Avery nodded and walked over to sit at the end of her bed. Sadie watched as Avery pulled the black heels onto her feet, and much to both of their surprise, they seemed to be a perfect fit.

Sadie grinned and was about to comment when her phone sounded loudly from it’s position amongst the mess on the desk.

Ding!

“That’s probably Ethan! He’s going to take us to the party” Sadie announced as she turned to search for her phone.

“Us?” Avery questioned as she watched Sadie find her phone and begin to rapidly type a response to whom Avery assumed must be Ethan.

“Yeah! He’ll drive us to the party… we’ll have to make a detour to my house though since I need to pick up another pair of heels. He’s a couple of minutes away”.

“Oh…” Avery began, bringing her hands together in her lap, “It’s just that… Azrael is supposed to be picking me up at 7:30...”.

Sadie turned to Avery with a little surprise, “Oh! Sorry, I just assumed that you would be coming with us! In that case, I’ll just have to see you when you get there. Make sure to tell me how he reacts, okay?”.

The girls exchanged smiles as another loud Ding! sounded from Sadie’s phone.

“He’s here” She announced, turning her attention to the mess of makeup and hair products littering both the desk and the floor and then back over to Avery, “Is it okay if I come by the pick these up tomorrow?” She asked apologetically.

“Of course” Avery answered, smiling.

“Okay! I gotta go, see you at the party!” Sadie said as she strode towards the bedroom door.

Avery wanted to ask Sadie if she wanted company to the front door but the pony-tailed blonde had already thrown opened the door and turned to close it, clearly in a rush.

“O-Okay... See you at the party!” Avery called, seeing a smile appear on Sadie’s face as she closed the door behind her.


	27. Chapter 27

After Sadie had left, Avery spent the next twenty minutes clearing her desk and floor of the pallets, brushes and hair products, putting them away neatly in Sadie's suitcase. 

While Avery liked to have a clean room, that wasn’t her motivation for packing everything away. Instead, it was that with each minute that ticked by in the silence of her room, she became more and more anxious as she anticipated Azrael’s arrival. 

Cleaning up the mess only distracted her thoughts for so long and Avery found herself sitting on her desk chair by the window. The cool afternoon breeze blew through the fly screen and raised goosebumps on Avery's exposed arms but she was too deep in thought to notice.

So much had happened within the last few days, and she hadn't had the chance to sit down and think about any of it. Each time there was something new to think about, she would suddenly be distracted by something else.

Azrael had only been in her life for six days, yet it already felt like much longer than that. He had already done so much for her.

If he hadn't appeared in the locker room on Tuesday, who knows what would have happened with Aiden. 

If she hadn't signed the contract that night, she wouldn't have stood up to Paige the next morning and perhaps if she hadn't, Paige wouldn't have stopped attacking her.

If Avery hadn't have been saved by Azrael that morning, she wouldn't have had the nerve to go to the cafeteria that day. And if she hadn't been in the cafeteria, she wouldn't have been approached by Ethan, and she wouldn't have met Sadie. 

Avery had to wonder exactly where she would be now if he hadn't have shown up when he did.

Would her innocence have been stripped away against the cold metal lockers? Would Paige have done even worse things to her? Would she have missed the chance to make her first friend in Sadie?

Avery had almost forgotten that she was waiting for Azrael when she saw a pair of bright lights turn the corner onto her street. Suddenly, Avery's heart began to pound and she leant towards the window, her eyes glued to the vehicle as it drew closer to her house. Then, just as quickly as the lights appeared, she felt her heart drop into her stomach. It wasn't Azrael's fancy red car, but instead a dirty white pick-up truck.

Avery felt her cheeks begin to heat as she caught her heart pumping in her chest. Every time that she thought she was about to see him, even when he was simply mentioned by Sadie, Avery's cheeks would heat and her heart would begin to thunder in her chest.

She was becoming increasingly aware of this, and she didn't understand why her heart and body would always react that way. She had thought before, that perhaps it was her instinctual response to nearby danger, to a demon, but she was beginning to believe that wasn't the case. 

Avery leant forward, tucking her arms underneath her head on the window seal as she gazed out of the window. The street was dimly lit by the final rays of sunlight peering from behind the houses across the street, orange and pink hues highlighting the pointed rooftops. 

Avery's heart was beginning to slow now and she cast her mind back to the previous night, to Azrael's profile as he dropped his hand from in front of his eyes and turned to her. His stunning blue eyes.

As much as Avery buried the thought, she wished, although selfish of her, that instead of seeing his glowing red eyes as a demon she could instead see his piercing cyan eyes as a human. Perhaps, if his eyes appeared normal, she would be able to forget that he was a demon altogether.

She had only seen them for a moment, but she could tell by the pained gaze that struggled to look her in the eye; she couldn't ask him to keep them. 

He had said that they belonged to his father. That he hated them.

Avery had assumed in that moment that when Azrael was alive, he too hated his father just as she did.

Even though the memories of her father brought with them an uncomfortable twisting sensation in her stomach, Avery was glad that she had them. It meant that she and Azrael had something in common. Something, in Avery's mind, that made her feel closer to him; that made him feel even more human.

As Avery closed her eyes she imagined him sitting beside her again, just as he had been on the rooftop and a smile tugged at her lips. The bright red eyes replaced with twinkling blue, and instead of that frustrated expression, his lips curled into a soft smile; the one that Avery had become very familiar with.

What if I had met Azrael before he had died? Could I have saved him from turning into a demon? Could we have protected each other?

Avery's smile faded, and her eyes fluttered open. What if?

Now feeling as though her stomach had once again filled with lead, Avery leant back in her chair glancing out the window at the disappearing sunset. 

As her eyes shifted from rooftop to rooftop Avery suddenly noticed a figure that stood on the other side of the street. Confused, she leant forward and squinted through her window at the dark outline of a person, noticing immediately, a pair of red glowing eyes. 

Azrael? Avery questioned, looking up and down the street in a vain attempt to find his fancy red car. Did he not drive here? 

She stood from her chair and leant as close to the window as she could. What was he doing down there? Avery had assumed that Azrael would have driven his car since he was 'picking her up', though he could just make the car pop out of no where once here. If that was the case, why had he not just appeared in her bedroom rather than across the road. 

The street was dark now and the figure stood between street lamps. If it wasn't for the glowing red eyes, Avery wouldn't have been able to tell it was Azrael. In fact, it wasn't until he raised his hand and gave Avery a little wave, that she thought it must be him.

Avery took in a sharp breath and raised her hand to wave back. She then turned and hurried towards her desk to pick up her phone and house keys. After collecting a small black shoulder bag from her closet and stuffing her belongings into it, Avery jogged towards the door and stepped into the hallway, heading towards the stairs.

It wasn't until she stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at the heavy wooden front door, that the pounding of her heart began thumping against her chest once again. 

Once she opened that door, Azrael would be standing there waiting for her. He would see her in this dress again, only this time, her hair and makeup would be done.

Avery took a deep breath, trying her best to control her breathing as she slowly descended the stairs. 

As much as Avery didn't want to get her hopes up, she wanted so badly to see the expression he had the first time he saw her in this dress. When he looked her up and down, a gentle smile crawling onto his cheeks as he studied her, and then the twinkling adoration in his eyes as he spoke; this is it. 

Would he look at her the same way again?

Avery could feel her cheeks heating as she stepped into the entrance, the large wooden door now standing over her dauntingly. She approached it slowly and reached for the handle, she hadn't realised that her hands had started shaking nervously until she began to twist the door knob.

With a soft click, the large door swung open, and the cool breeze greeted Avery. Immediately, goosebumps rose on her arms and legs as she stepped out onto the porch and she twisted her arms around her body in an attempt to shield herself. 

Avery strained her eyes as she searched the street for Azrael. He wasn’t standing across the road where she had seen him, in fact, he wasn’t standing anywhere anymore. A wave of confusion fell over Avery as she took two steps forward, now standing at the top of the porch steps, leaning forward to look down the street on the left, and then scanning over to the right.

It was when her eyes found to end of the street that she saw a pair of bright white car lights appear, turning with the loud grumble of an engine towards her house. She watched as the vehicle approached, and much to her surprise, as it got closer she recognised the shiny red exterior that reflected the light of the street.

What?

Avery gaped at the car in bewilderment as it slowed to a stop in front of her house. The loud hum of the engine cut and the glow of the front lights disappeared as the driver’s seat door swung open and Azrael stepped out.

Avery stared at him, her mouth still hanging open in awestruck as he reached to adjust his black leather jacket, scanning his surroundings. 

Why would he appear on the street, disappear, and then reappear driving his car? Did he want to make sure I was outside when he pulled up? Why?

It was only when Azrael’s bright red eyes fell on Avery, and a soft smile graced his features, that the butterflies suddenly returned to her stomach. 

Azrael rounded the front of the car and strode towards the blonde, his eyes examining Avery as his eyes travelled the length of her body slowly, making no effort to mask his appraisal.

The way that his lips seemed to curl and stretch across his face while he inspected her caused Avery’s heart begin to pound heavily against her ribs. She could feel her cheeks warming with each short, hasty breath that fell from her lips.

She had wanted him to look at her this way, but now that he was, she found herself feeling overwhelmed by a rush of heat that seemed to travel from her chest to the rest of her body.

Avery had no chance to collect herself before Azrael stopped below her, standing at the foot of the porch. 

He was not expecting this.

Yesterday when he had seen her in this dress for the first time, it had taken his breath away. He had thought, as he sat in front of the changing room, that Avery had been the most beautiful girl he had ever set his eyes on.

But now, with her hair pinned up so elegantly, the makeup that made her pale eyes look so vividly blue, and the lipstick that beckoned him to look at her lips, he was sure that she must be the most beautiful girl in the world.

Azrael gazed into Avery’s eyes, his smile unwavering, “You look beautiful”.

Avery’s heart skipped a beat as Azrael spoke those soft words. His voice low and comforting. This was the expression, the one that she had wanted so badly to see, the only thing missing though was the twinkling blue that Avery longed to see again. 

Avery looked Azrael up and down. He wore a black leather jacket with a plain black shirt underneath. Instead of his usual black pants, he wore grey jeans that had rips on one of the knees and his staple black boots that Avery had never seen him without. 

“You look… beautiful… too” Avery mumbled, only realising her strange choice of wording after the words had left her lips. 

Avery’s stomach dropped as a wave of embarrassment fell over her and she raised her hands with the intention of covering her face only for Azrael to wrap his hands around her wrists. 

“Don’t hide” Azrael spoke softly, “Not from me. Especially when you look this breath-taking”

Ba-bump

Avery’s heart felt as though it was about to explode under the intensity of the pounding against her rib cage. She couldn’t take her eyes off his as they sparkled up at her. 

With a gentle tug of her hand, Azrael brought the back of Avery’s had to his lips and pressed a feather-soft kiss to her skin. His lips send a bolt of electricity through her hand and up her arm. 

It was when she felt his lips against her skin, that the memories of her dream strung through her mind. She remembered the feeling of his fingers running softly against her back, the feeling of his lips pressing gently to each of her knuckles as he gazed at her with glistening blue eyes, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip and then…

Azrael raised Avery's hand to cover his mouth as he brought his bottom lip between his teeth. He wasn’t expecting to hear such revealing thoughts, and he wanted to make sure that Avery hadn’t noticed his reaction. 

She’s dreamt of… Azrael couldn’t bring himself to finish that thought as he stared back into the innocent pale eyes of the girl he never thought would ever see him that way.

Then, much to his disbelief, he felt his cheeks beginning to warm and he quickly let go of the blonde’s hand, turning away from her and taking a few steps towards the car.

Avery stood, stunned and taken aback by the dark-haired boys sudden actions. Her hand still hovered in the air, stretched out to where it was when Azrael had sent a volt of electricity through her. There was a subtle feeling of disappointment that was being lifted from somewhere within her, though she didn’t understand why. 

Azrael took a sharp breath as he attempted to control the long forgotten feelings that had so suddenly overwhelmed him. She’s such an idiot, he thought, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth as he brought his lip between his teeth once again, She realises I’m a demon, right? Why would she… Azrael bit down hard on his lip, letting a deep breath fall from his lips, idiot.

Avery slowly brought her hands to her chest as she watched Azrael. His demeanour had changed so suddenly, he had been so cool and collected when he arrived, but now, he seemed so out of his element. She didn’t understand why.

“We should leave” Azrael muttered, dropping his hand back to his side.

He turned towards Avery, having managed to collect himself enough for his soft smile to return to his face.

Avery watched him for a moment, wondering now if she had just over-thought the reasoning behind him turning away so suddenly. She gave a small nod, and a smile grew on her face as she stepped down from the porch onto the narrow concrete pathway that split the front yard in half.

Azrael let another breath blow through his nose as he turned, beginning towards his car. Avery stayed for a moment, watching the curly haired boy slowly get further away as a thought forced its way to the front of her mind.

Maybe if I always walk behind you, I can imagine you to be human.


	28. Chapter 28

The red Ferrari rolled up to the curb of the party. The coloured lights from inside the house sending glistening sparkles over the exterior of the car. 

With a pop Azrael opened his door, stepping out of the car. The group of party-goers that stood in the front yard all turned to look at him, gawking and whispering between each other. Some girls that stood on the porch eyed him with interest, the bottom lip of the boys standing beside them dropping open in awe at his ride.

Azrael closed the door, his lips curling into a smirk as he began around it and strode to the passenger door. 

Avery sat, her eyes fixed on her hands as she heard the thumping music and chattering of people get louder when Azrael opened her door. Her lower lip caught between her teeth anxiously and she glanced up at the dark-haired demon who looked perfectly in his element.

Azrael’s grin faded into a smile when he saw the nervous expression on the blonde’s face and he leant forward to whisper to her, “Don’t be nervous”.

Avery swallowed, her hands clenching into fists as Azrael stepped back and extended an open hand for her. Avery turned in the seat, planting her feet on the soft soil before taking Azrael’s hand and stepping out of the car. 

The boys were previously staring at the shimmering red car turned their heads as Avery stepped out from behind the door. Their bottom lips had only dropped further at the sight of her.

Avery wore a gorgeous golden dress glittered with stones and sequins that sparkled as she moved. The fabric hugged her waist, exposing the figure that had been hiding behind ill-fitting jumpers and jeans. 

Her hair had been pinned up in a mess of curls, some stray strands hanging against her blushed cheeks. The smoky eye-shadow that Sadie had picked out made her blue eyes appear like sapphires as light reflected against them and her lips were a bright red matching the car behind her. 

Avery’s cheeks quickly brightened as she looked around at all of onlookers that couldn’t take their eyes off her and she began to turn away only to be stopped by Azrael who wrapped an arm around her waist. 

Azrael scanned the crowd with a grin as he leaned to her ear, his voice charming and low, “You look breathtaking, don’t hide”.

At this Avery felt a flutter in her chest as her heart skipped a beat once again. She glanced up at Azrael and followed his eyes to the front door where a familiar brunette pushed her way to the front. 

The moment that Paige had set her eyes on Avery her jaw dropped, her eyes staring Avery up and down with shock.

Avery felt Azrael’s fingers press against her waist, and she squirmed ever so slightly at the foreign touch. 

“Ready to go in?” Azrael asks, glancing down to the mortal who had gone bright red. Avery takes a deep breath and nods, putting on a confident expression as they began towards the door.

Paige couldn't pick her jaw up from the floor as the girl in gold passed her. For a moment the brunette thought that her enemy looked better than her, but she quickly dismissed the thought. 

Paige wore a figure hugging strapless green dress with a sweetheart neckline, cutouts just above her hips showing off her tanned skin. 

Avery turned to glance at the brunette with a smile as she stepped through the door, looking her up and down with a confident smile. The look on Paige's face had brought her so much more self-confidence. Neither Avery nor Paige thought that she could ever look this good. 

Inside the party was raging. Music shook through the house and people stumbled through the halls, pushing and sliding against one another. 

As they made their way through the hall, heads began to turn to take in Avery’s appearance. Avery ducked her head, focusing her attention on the dark blue carpet in favour of the overwhelming attention upon her newly revealed figure. 

A breath ghosting against her ear caused her head to jolt up and make eye contact with Azrael. His smile had turned into a proud grin as he looked around at the heads that turned to his ‘date’, “I better keep an eye on you tonight, otherwise someone might try to steal you away”. 

This statement mixed with his charming crimson gaze brought with it a feeling Avery had only felt once before in a dream. Her breath became heavy as Azrael took her hand and began to pull her through the hall, the warmth of his fingertips against her palm heating her chest.

Azrael’s hand slipped from hers as the pair entered what appeared to be the kitchen. 

Seemingly thousands of red solo cups littered every surface of the bench and a plethora of alcohol was lined up on one side of the island. 

Avery’s eye caught on the large punch bowl sitting in the middle of the clutter, the crystal bowl was filled to the brim with a fizzing muck green sort of liquid that made her queasy to look at. 

Azrael took a step towards a nearby group and plucked an empty cup from the hands of a disorientated party-goer. The stranger turned to give Azrael a glance but just shrugged and stole the drink of the person standing next to him. 

Azrael leant over the bench, dipping the cup into the large bowl and bringing it to his nose to smell it. Azrael’s right brow raised before he gave a satisfied hum and tilted the cup in Avery’s direction.

“Care for a drink?” Azrael challenged, and a mischievous grin stretched across his face as he swirled the concoction around in the cup. 

Avery’s nose wrinkled in disgust at the awful looking liquid that sent fumes smelling of petrol and licorice towards her. 

“What even is that?” she gagged slightly as she leant away from the cup, “Poison?”.

Azrael grinned, tilting his head back and draining the drink in three long swallows before he glanced into the empty cup. Avery grimaced in disgust as Azrael throw the empty cup haphazardly onto the mess littering the counter top. 

“Jungle juice” He responded, his smirk returning to his lips, “Surprisingly, the undrugged variety too”. 

“Why do you sound disappointed about that?” Avery questioned, warily eyeing the drink table after the mention of drugs. 

She peered up at Azrael who looked thoroughly amused before she turned to the island and gingerly poked an abandoned drink with her finger tip, “Do people really get drugged at these sort of parties?” 

“You really are naive, aren't you?” Azrael chuckled, his lips tilting up in mocking smile. 

Avery’s pretty face twisted into a scowl as she batted at his arm. She opened her mouth to scold him but then her eyes caught a handsome figure with messy brown curls descending the staircase. Ethan.

He seemed to be followed closely by his friends that she recognised from school, Scott and Hayden. 

Scott was a chubby brunette with wild untamed afro-esc curls sitting on his head and a friendly grin. 

Hayden on the other hand was a taller lanky blonde with hair parted in the middle and dark roots poking through.

Ethan was in a thin white shirt than hugged his muscled arms and toned chest and a black jacket. He wore camouflage denim jeans that hung from his hips loosely, the slightest peek of his black Calvin Klein underwear exposing itself as he twisted to talk to the boys following him at the bottom of the stairs.

“Are you going to actually talk to him or just gape?” 

Avery startled at Azrael’s voice in her ear and she turned to hiss at him, “I can’t just go talk to him” she insisted. Her cheeks had quickly turned a bright red at the demons suggestion. 

“Oh really? He doesn’t seem to feel the same” the dark haired boy grinned as he nodded past the blonde. Avery spun to see Ethan walking towards her, brushing past party goers. The brown-haired boy gave Avery a smile as their eyes caught each other and she had no time to prepare herself before he stood in front of her.

“I’m glad you guys could make it” He began, reaching up to scratch the back of his head as his eyes scanned Avery, “You look great tonight, Avery”. 

At this Azrael chuckled, as mischievous grin appearing as he eyed Ethan, “Don’t go hitting on my girlfriend while I’m standing right here”

Avery’s eyes shot to Azrael and she glared at him for his choice of words. Azrael knew that she had a crush on him, she had made that painfully obvious the day that he had met Ethan. Why are you saying stupid things! 

“Sorry dude, I mean no harm. Honestly” Ethan responded in a half-serious, half-joking tone.

Avery turned back to Ethan and gave him her best smile, her blush unwavering after his compliment. 

“Anyway, me and my friends are about to start a game of truth or dare if you wanna join us?” Ethan says, pointing over his shoulder towards the room next door. 

Avery parted her lips to decline his offer but Azrael slung his over her shoulder and gave Ethan a friendly smile, “We’d love too”. 

“Great, if you wanna grab yourselves a drink go ahead and I’ll see you in there”.

As Ethan disappeared into the crowd of people, Avery spun towards Azrael, ignoring the restraint of his arm that still sat across her shoulders. 

“Why did you have to say that!” Avery grumbled as she swung a closed fist at his arm, “You know that I… That I...”.

“That you have a crush on him?” Azrael raised his eyebrow at her in amusement.

At this Avery’s eyes dropped to the floor in embarrassment and Azrael gave a little sigh, “relax. I’m your boyfriend, in his mind, you're already taken. Well, unless he doesn’t care about-”

Azrael paused as he felt Avery’s fist once again collide with his arm and he chuckled in amusement.

“Ouch” He joked, taking a moment to give Avery his best impersonation of a pained expression before glancing at the drinks table.

“If you don’t want anything to drink, then let’s go. I’m interested to get to know why you like this popular jock type”.

Avery parted her lips to respond but she gasped as Azrael snaked his hand around her waist, pressing his fingers to her side as he lead her towards the room Ethan had pointed out.

A group of teenagers sat in a loose circle, all of which Avery recognised from school.

Ethan was sat on the two-seater couch surrounded by plastic chairs, Paige clinging to his side. Beside Paige sat Addison who was comparing hand sizes with the blonde that Avery recognised as Hayden. Beside Hayden sat Sadie who was talking to Scott who sat beside Ethan.

When Ethan noticed the duo standing at the entrance of the room he smiled and called them, waving them over. Avery was immediately greeted with a scowl from Paige as she entered with the demon by her side. 

Hayden and Scott both wore wide eyes, jaws dropping as they saw the blonde walked into the room. Hayden was snapped out of it when Addison smacked him over the back of the head.

“Avery, right? Ethan said you and your boyfriend would be hanging out with us tonight. You look beautiful!” Scott beamed, smiling at Avery as she walked to take a seat beside him and Sadie. 

“Yeah.. and th-thanks...” Avery blushed as she gave him a small embarrassed smile. 

Azrael took a seat beside her, creating a wall between Avery and the boy with the afro. Scott and Hayden both subtly looked Azrael over apprehensively. He definitely stood out with his tattoos and piercings amongst a group of clean skinned basketball players. 

Although Azrael had glanced at each of them, noting how they were gazing at his tattoos from the corners of their eyes, he didn’t say anything. 

“Yay! You’re finally here!” Sadie exclaims as she wraps her arms around Avery’s neck and pulled her into a hug. “Remember to tell me later how your boyfriend reacted!” She whispered excitedly into Avery’s ear before pulling away.

Avery blushed and reached to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, “Y-yeah… of course”. 

Sadie grinned, leaning around Avery to give Azrael a proud grin, “Doesn’t she look amazing tonight?” She asked. Azrael gave her a small nod and an appreciative smile before turning his attention to Ethan.

“So are you guys ready to get this game of truth or dare started?” Ethan grinned, clapping his hands together to get everybody's attention. 

“Oh let me go first!” Paige said with an excited smile as she turned to eye Avery with a glint of hatred, “Truth or Dare, Avery?”.

Avery leant back in her chair as the eyes of everybody in the circle turned to her, and she wondered what Paige could possibly be planning by targeting her. She couldn’t do or say anything too horrible with Ethan sitting right next to her. Right?

“Truth” Avery answered, not wanting to risk being asked to drink alcohol. 

“Of course” Addison scoffs under her breath. 

Paige hums as she tries to think of a question to ask the pretty blonde who sat across from her, her lips settling into a smirk as an interesting question came to mind. 

“How far have the pair of you gone?” Paige’s eyed the pair of them with malicious amusement and leant her head against Ethan’s shoulder. 

Scott and Hayden leant forward, turning to the pair with curiosity.

Avery felt her heart sinking into her stomach as she gazed across the circle at Ethan who simply waited for her answer. As much as Avery was sure this question seemed casual amongst a group of close friends, she couldn’t help but feel as though Paige was trying to find a way to tarnish her reputation in front of Ethan.

“We haven’t” Azrael answered, looking directly across the circle at Ethan before glancing to both Scott and Hayden, “Avery isn’t like that”.

Scott and Hayden seemed to glance away from Avery as though the statement from Azrael had made them feel guilty for assuming she had. 

Paige pressed her tongue to her lips as she stared Azrael down, anger now glinting in her eyes. Azrael simply stared at her with indifference before glancing around the room to avoid her gaze.

“Avery it’s your turn” Sadie smiles with a little nudge on her friends arm.

Avery looked around the circle but eventually decided to ask Sadie. When Sadie chose dare Avery had trouble coming up with a dare and eventually Hayden dared her to down the rest of her drink.

“You drink…?” Avery asks as Sadie places her empty red cup on the floor beside her chair.

Sadie turned to Avery with a smile, “Yeah why not?”.

At this Avery’s lips turned into a concerned frown. The group of them were only juniors and about 17 years of age, their legal drinking age was over three years away.

Sadie sighed as she eyed her friend, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to drink too much. Scott’s dad is the sheriff of this town and never comes to break up these parties anyway”. 

This information didn’t stop the unsettled feeling in Avery’s chest as she gave Sadie a nod and a weak smile. Sadie had already made herself out to be someone not afraid to break the rules, and tonight only proved that that was the case to Avery. She just hoped Sadie knew what she was doing.

Avery idly watched as Sadie dared Scott to hit on a girl standing in the next room with her friends. When he approached the girl she turned to him with a strange look before grimacing and walking away laughing with her friends. Avery laughed along with the group as Scott walked back to his position with a mock pout.

Scott then asked Hayden who he had a crush on after he chose ‘truth’. Hayden was quick to dismiss the question saying that he didn’t have a crush on anybody but nobody in the group believed him. 

After a short argument about the authenticity of his answer, Hayden dared Addison to sit on Scott’s lap until her next turn and with an annoyed frown Addison crossed the circle. 

The sight of the tall muscular red-headed girl sitting on the short chubby boy was amusing considering the way Scott held his hands up in the air, knowing better than to touch Addison for fear of being beaten.

Addison turned to Ethan with a grin when she asked him, “Truth or dare”. After a little thought Ethan chose truth and watched as amusement flashed through her eyes, turning to Avery with the same devilish look that Paige had earlier.

“Have you and Paige ever kissed?”

Avery’s eyes were quick to fall on Ethan and she awaited his response. The pair of them weren’t dating, and so she assumed that the answer would be ‘no’. Not to mention at the start of the week she overheard the girls talking in the bathroom about Paige’s plans to try to kiss him. 

Ethan rolled his eyes as he responded, “You all already know the answer to this”.

Addison laughed as she turned to Avery and Azrael, “but our new friends don’t”.

Ethan let out a long sigh as though he had been bothered by this question a thousand times before. 

With each moment that passed, watching the growing vexation on Ethan’s face Avery felt her resolve about his answer crumbling.

“You know I have” Ethan says simply, staring Addison down.


	29. Chapter 29

“I don’t see why this is important to these two” Ethan says gesturing towards Avery and Azrael. How wrong he was. Avery’s face had set into a disappointed frown as she imagined Paige’s lips against Ethan’s. Did she already get to him tonight? Are they dating now

Azrael slunk his arm around Avery’s shoulder and pulled her to his side. Avery’s eyes turned to him in confusion at his gesture, but when she looked into his eye she realised that this was his attempt at comforting her. He must have heard my thoughts. 

After a moment of bickering, Addison reminded Ethan that it was his turn and he signed. “Azrael, truth or dare” Ethan says, leaning against the arm of the couch.

Azrael thought for a moment before he settled on truth. Ethan didn’t miss a beat when he asked, “How did you two get together”. 

Azrael leant back against the plastic chair as he turned to look down at Avery who looked as though she had gone into shock. Of course she hasn’t thought of a story, he thought, his arm tightening on Avery’s waist as he attempted to think up a lie that wouldn’t get him scolded like last time.

“I was going through a hard time in Freshman and Sophomore and she noticed. After she came into my life everything seemed to get better” He explained vaguely.

Avery felt his fingertips press into her side gently as he spoke and she couldn’t help but wonder if there was some truth to his story. A distant memory from a time when he too, was human.

“I’m lucky to have met her when I did”.

Having not expected to hear such a heavy story the group grew silent, giving each other sideways glances as they waited for someone to speak. Avery was staring up at Azrael as he glanced down at her to see her reaction to his lie. 

Perhaps it was the way the light danced through his eye or the way his lips had pressed into a thin line, but Avery was sure that what he had just said came from somewhere deep inside him. Suddenly, as though she had just connected two dots in her head, she remembered the name in cursive writing on Azrael’s arm. Claire. Was Claire a girl he knew before he died? Someone who was there for him when he needed them?

Avery was snapped from her thoughts when Azrael turned to Paige, a mysterious smile spreading across his cheeks, “Paige, truth or dare?”.

Paige’s eyes darted to Azrael wearily. She was clearly uncomfortable with Azrael asking the question. After all, Azrael was the only person who had seen Paige’s real personality, someone that she hadn’t been able to intimidate. Azrael could reveal everything right here and right now. 

Avery poked his side lightly, causing the demon to turn to look down at her with blazing eyes. Don’t cause a scene, please… I don’t want Ethan and Sadie to find out about my history with Paige, Avery thought desperately. Azrael’s eyes softened as he looked into her eyes, his smile unwavering as he turned back to Paige. 

“Dare” Paige answered, swallowing the nervousness that Azrael gave her and replacing it with a challenging glare.

As Azrael stared at the brunette his smile slowly turned into a grin. Avery wondered whether he was hearing words that the rest of them couldn’t. He had said that he could read other people's thoughts. Was he reading Paige’s? 

“I dare you to kiss Scott”

Azrael’s lips curled into a smirk as Paige’s eyes grew wide. The odd thing was that her expression wasn’t one of disgust or displeasure, it was one of shock as though she had just been exposed to the group. 

Avery turned to see how Scott had taken the dare and noticed that he had brought his lower lip between his teeth and was now staring down at the floor.

Paige recovered with a huff as she stood from her place on the couch and clenched her fists at her sides. She looked so flustered, yet so angry, Avery could see her cheeks beginning to light pink. Azrael looked up at the brunette with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous half-smile.

“I would NEVER kiss Scott Davis!” She growled down at the curly haired boy who seemed to have hit some kind of nerve.

Azrael tilted his head to the side and brought his free hand to his cheek as red flashed through his eyes, “Oh, really?”.

Paige let another angered breath escaped through clenched teeth before she turned and stomped out of the room, calling for her sidekick, “Addison!”.

Addison was quick to her feet, almost pushing Scott’s chair over as she sat up and followed after Paige into the crowd. Surprisingly, Ethan also stood and followed after the pair, he looked concerned. 

Everybody looked around to assess just how confused the others were before their attention turned to Azrael who looked rather amused with himself. 

“What was that about?” Sadie wondered out loud as she turned to the others, noticing that everybody had a similar reaction as her.

“I don’t know...” Scott mumbled, his eyes glued on Azrael whose grin widened as he watched Scott’s brown eyes squint in bewilderment.

Avery stared up at Azrael. She knew, she just knew that he had heard something in her mind that he had used to get that kind of response from her. Avery had no idea what it could possibly be but there was no way Paige would react so strongly just because she didn’t want to kiss Scott. It didn’t make sense at all.

“Well, I’m getting another drink” Sadie announced as she got to her feet and turned to walk towards the kitchen. 

“I’m with you” Hayden and Scott both agreed before scrambling to their feet to follow the blonde. 

Avery still looked confused as she turned to watch the trio as they exited the room.

“What did you do?” She whispered under her breath as she turned to Azrael with concern and confusion, eyeing the still grinning demon beside her. 

Azrael unwrapped his arm from her shoulder as he turned towards the blonde, he knew that she had already guessed what had happened. Whether he should tell her what he had heard was a different story altogether.

“I just hit a soft spot, that’s all” Azrael declared as he revelled in the numerous theories swarming through his human's head about what exactly that could have been.

“Tell me what you heard!” Avery demanded. 

“How much?” Azrael queried as his expression shifted into a challenging smile, his eye brow raised.

This question confused Avery. “What do you mean?” She asked, vexation wrinkling her nose.

“Reading minds is a demon ability, so naturally it would cost you some time if you want me to tell you what I heard”

Avery’s confused expression fell into a disappointed scowl. It would cost me? 

While she was very curious about what exactly Azrael had heard she wasn’t about to give up more time to find out the answer.

“Never mind” Avery grumbled as she turned to face towards the couch, avoiding the demon’s gaze. I don’t care enough about this too waste my life span on it. Nice try though.

“Have it your way” Azrael comments.

Immediately after those words left Azrael’s lips, Sadie walked back into the room holding two red cups in her hand. 

“Here” She chimes as she passes one of the red cups to Avery. Avery reached up to take the cup and peeked at the contents inside, “Is this alcohol?”.

“Duh” Sadie laughs as she watched Avery’s face twist into concern, “Just have a mouthful!” she pleased with a smile.

“I- I don’t know” Avery stutters as she brings the drink to her nose, glad that she couldn’t smell the overpowering scent of licorice. Instead the pink liquid smelt vaguely like raspberry. 

Avery turned to Azrael as if asking for help out of the situation but he just shrugged his shoulders and nodded towards the cup that she held in her hands. 

You’re so helpful. With this thought a smile appeared on his lips and he said, “You’re the safest you’ll ever be with me here”.

Sadie grinned hearing the encouraging words fall from the demons lips but Avery still wasn’t convinced. Safe or not, this was still against the law. What happened if cops showed up and she got taken a jail? What would happen when her mother found out about this?

Azrael reached across to place a hand on Avery’s shoulder, bringing her eyes back to his. “I will make sure that nothing bad happens, okay? Have fun while you’re young. You never know when you’ll die”.

Those words resonated somewhere within Avery. 

‘Have fun while you’re young. You never know when you will die’

Avery had spent all of her middle school and half of her high school studying and being the ‘good’ daughter so that Gwen could be the ‘bad’ daughter. Even this morning Gwen had threatened Avery not to tell mum about how she had brought friends over and somehow managed to buy alcohol. When would it be her turn? That’s what she had thought.

As much as Avery wouldn’t admit it though, it was knowing that Azrael was there to watch over her and make sure that nothing bad happened that made her even consider it. She knew she could trust him.

Avery hesitated as she brought the cup to her mouth and tilted the pink liquid to her lips, taking a sip. The initial taste was a strong sweet raspberry flavour, but as the drink rolled down her throat there was a burning sensation that followed the liquid all the way to her stomach.

Avery grimaced at the aftertaste and Sadie began to laugh hysterically. Azrael grinned at her reaction. After all, watching such an innocent high school girl have her first taste of alcohol was amusing. He wondered what she might be like if she were to get a little drunk.

“This tastes awful” Avery grumbled, sticking her tongue out of her mouth to try and get rid of the taste. 

“Alcohol isn’t supposed to taste good, Avery. It’s supposed to get you drunk!” Sadie smiles widely as Avery eyeing the liquid with disgust, “Just take it nice and slow and eventually you won’t be able to taste it anymore”.

Avery gave a half smile and brought the drink back to her lips to take another sip, but the taste was just as awful as the first.

Scott and Hayden wondered back into the room with two drinks each. Scott hands his second drink to Azrael as he takes his seat on the plastic chair beside him, “Here you go, man”. Azrael takes the drink and gives Scott a nod before resting the cup against his thigh.

“Ethan still isn’t back?” Hayden asked, looking around the room.

“Nope, seems like Paige has trapped him in a room somewhere” Sadie laughs, giving Avery an amused sideways glance. Avery stifled a laugh, bringing the cup to her lips once more to try and hide her smile.

“More for me a guess” Hayden shrugs as he placed one of his drinks on the floor beside him, and sat down with the other.

“Well looks like truth and dare is a bust so what about two lies and a truth? Everyone guesses, and each time you guess wrong you drink!” Sadie exclaimed, glancing around the group. Scott grinned and Hayden slumped back into his chair in indifference, drinking his drink to his lips. 

Avery had never heard of ‘two truths and a lie’ but when Sadie began, she quickly caught on to the game. 

“I have a tattoo on my back. I have never had a boyfriend before. My favourite food of all time is hot dog's. Which is the truth?”.

Scott squinted his eyes in concentration, “Wait what was the first one again?”.

As Sadie repeated her statements, Avery looked up at Azrael, realising that he could win this game easily by reading everybody's mind. So if I copy Azrael, I shouldn’t have to drink, right?

“The truth is you have a tattoo on your back” Hayden answered, staring Sadie down.

Sadie grinned and then turned to Scott for his answer, “The truth is that… your favourite food is hot dog's”.

Sadie’s grin widened as she turned to Avery and Azrael. Avery glanced up at her curly haired date and waited for his response.

“Tattoo” He answered simply.

Sadie nodded and looked at Avery, “What do you think Avery?”.

“Tattoo as well...”.

Sadie burst into laughter, “You’re all wrong! Drink!”.

Avery was momentarily stunned, wondering how Azrael could have possibly gotten the answer wrong. It was only when she glanced up at him, did she realise that he was wearing a mischievous, satisfied grin. He did it on purpose!

From that point on, Avery didn’t trust any of the answers that Azrael gave and instead tried to guess just like everybody else was. Though, as it turned out she was not very good at guessing. 

As the night drew on, Avery learnt several things about Sadie, Scott and Hayden. Azrael had refused to join in but would still guess for each of the rounds. Avery was sure that his truths would end up being lies anyway. It didn’t matter though because Avery had a great time guessing along and getting to know each of the others.

Sadie had never had a boyfriend, though, when she was in middle school, she did date a girl in her class for two days. Avery guessed correctly that Sadie was vegetarian because she had been told this at lunch a few days ago. She also found out that Sadie owned a big collection of medals for cross country and swimming in middle school, though she hates to be sweaty and exercise anymore, and that her parents names were Judith and Harvey.

Scott owned two dogs, one called Snowy and the other called Coal; both named because of their colour. He spent almost every lunch in middle school playing chess with his teacher in the library, though he only ever beat him once, and his hobby was collecting manga; the truth that everybody but Avery had gotten correct.

Hayden had a tattoo on his back of a dragon that he had gotten on his trip overseas with his older brother Derick, a tattoo his parents were still unaware of. Hayden had a collection of novelty socks which started when he was ten when his mother began giving him two pairs each year for his birthday and Christmas. He was also known as ‘dick-brain’ in middle school after he corrected a teachers maths problem, a truth that Avery managed to guess correctly.

Sadie refused to let Avery stop drinking and was quick to rush off and fetch her another cup of the same raspberry flavoured alcohol each time she ran out. 

Slowly, the alcohol began to taste less bitter until she could have sworn that Sadie was just bringing her raspberry soda. Each time that Avery eye’s switched from one person to another, everything briefly looked like a rush of colours, as though she was looking out of a quickly moving vehicle. 

It was only when Avery felt herself tilt sideways on her seat, being caught by Azrael’s grip as he wrapped his fingers around her upper arm did she realise.

She was drunk.


	30. Chapter 30

For a moment, a silence that drowned out the chatter of the party-goers and the thumping of the music fell over them. It was as though only the pair of them existed together, gazing into each others eyes, an electricity stirring between them.

Ethan had finally remembered why Avery had felt so familiar to him.

He remembered why he had stopped mid-sentence that day in the cafeteria when he had come to sit opposite her; he had recognised those kind eyes and shy nature. He had remembered, during the art lesson, where he had seen that wide smile that lifted her cheeks so high that he could barely see her eyes underneath them.

He knew now where he had seen them before.

_____

Four Years Ago, middle school.

"Ethan, I understand that Brandon is your best friend but you can't be letting him distract you during class" Miss Denver frowned, raising her hand to push her red-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose. 

Ethan pursed his lips and gazed down at the ground. It had already been half an hour since everybody else had left school. Miss Denver had held him back and shown him his most recent assignments, lecturing him about the standard of his work which had been particularly lacking in the last few months.

"If this happens one more time, I'm going to have to call your parents and discuss your behaviour".

At this statement Ethan's eyes widened and he stood up from his desk hastily, slamming his hands down against the wooden top, "No! Please don't... I promise it won't happen again, okay?" he pleaded, staring into Miss Denver's dark eyes.

"Make sure of it" Miss Denver scowled, her eyes moving to meet his.

It was when she saw the desperation behind Ethan's eyes that her expression softened and she continued, "I want you to be aware that your father has been in constant contact with the school as of late. He has not been happy with your current grades and many teachers have suggested that the lower scores are due to your lack of attention in class. Of course..." Miss Denver paused, thinking carefully about the way she should word her next sentence, "Some teachers, not myself of course, have pointed a finger towards your best friend, Brandon Giddian, as the reason for the drop in your grades over the last few months. While I will not stand prejudice against any of my students, I highly recommend that you study harder for the upcoming midterm tests to prove those teachers, and your parents, wrong".

Ethan had held eye contact with with Miss Denver for most of her speech and only broken his gaze away when a feeling of frustration rushed through his body at the name 'Brandon Giddian'. He fell back onto the plastic chair with a thud and let a long sigh escape through his lips. Of course his parents had gotten involved, and of course the teachers would all point fingers at Brandon, he was, after all, the school troublemaker.

Miss Denver's lips curled into a look of sympathy as she leant back against the desk in front of Ethan's, "You are a bright young man, and I hope that we do not loose such a talented student".

Ethan huffed at this statement. He had been groomed all his life to the bright and talented young man that his father wanted him to be. All he really wanted though was to be able to have some fun for once. That's what Brandon did, made things fun.

Ethan nodded once and reached down to snatch up his bag. He was angry, not at Miss Denver, but at the way his parents had chosen to stick their nose into his social and school life and threatened to take everything good away again over a few B-minuses on his report cards. He was still one of the top performing students, why did it matter so much?

Ethan strided towards the classroom door, feeling a sense of relief when he had reached it without another word from his English teacher and yanked the door open. Only when it had thudded shut behind him did he clench his fists and mutter, "I don't want to leave either". 

The school hallways were empty, and Ethan decided to skip a trip to his locker, knowing that if he took a detour, his mum would arrive before he had gotten to the parking lot and would ask questions about why he had been held back. Luckily, she was usually half an hour late from work anyway.

His mood worsened as he approached the clear double door's of the school's entrance only to see rain pounding against the asphalt of the parking lot, the howling wind rattling the door hinges. Great.

Then, as he stepped up to the door and grasped the handle, bracing himself for the spit of water and blow of wind, he saw her. He recognised the shoulder-length blonde hair immediately. She was friend's with Sarah and Michelle, girls who sat with Ethan and his friends at lunch. Though, he could not remember the blonde's name. 

She stood, staring out into the thundering rain with her arms wound tightly around her. She was shaking so violently that Ethan wondered why she hadn't thought to bring a jacket to school that morning considering the weather forecast. 

He pushed the door open, immediately feeling the bite of freezing cold wind and spit of the rain against his bare arms as he stepped outside. 

Beginning towards her, he noted the emptiness of the parking lot and felt a sense of relief that he could not see his mother's silver land Cruiser waiting for him, though he hoped she would arrive soon.

"You're still here?" Ethan called, speaking loudly over the pounding of the rain.

The girl startled and whipped around, almost slipping on the wet concrete as her pale blue eyes settled on him. Ethan noticed the pink flush of her pale cheeks and nose as she nodded shyly and dropped her gaze to the ground.

It was a few moments before she replied, "I'm waiting to get picked up".

It was only when the corners of the blonde's lips dropped in a brief look of dejection that Ethan remembered something Sarah had told him a month ago when he had asked why she never spoke.

'I think it's because of some bad stuff going on at her home. I once tried to ask her about it but she just shook her head and said that she didn't wanna talk about it and that everything was fine. She is super sweet and really nice once you get her to talk though, I hope there isn't anything too bad going on behind her smile' 

Ethan found himself wondering for a brief moment if the reason she was still waiting had anything to do with her parents, but he quickly dismissed the thought, not wanting to make any assumptions based on what Sarah had said.

A sense of valiance fell over Ethan and he took a couple of steps forward, sliding his bag off his shoulder and onto the damp concrete. He unzipped his bag and rummaged through it for the blue jacket that his mother had forced upon him that morning in anticipation of the rain. 

He found it at the bottom of his bag and pulled it out, standing back up to hold it out to the girl, "My mum will be here any minute now, so take this while you wait" He said, trying his best to give the girl an encouraging smile.

The girl's eyes had widened at his gesture and she looked between him and the jacket with a stunned look, "but..." she began in such a quiet tone that Ethan had barely heard it over the thundering of the rain.

Before she could continue, a bright light appeared at the entrance of the parking lot and the girl turned to watch it approach. A look of hopefulness had sparked in her eyes and Ethan watched as the car got closer, and the light that briefly glinted in her eyes died out, replaced with disappointment.

Was her mum or dad supposed to have already shown up? He thought, shoving the thought from his head as the girl's eyes flickered back towards him.

Ethan shoved the jacket into the girl chest and she grasped it without too much thought.

"That's my mum now" Ethan said, leaning down to zip up his bag and hoist it over his shoulder.

Ethan could see the blurred image of his mother staring at him from inside the car, her curious green eyes moving between him and the girl. He knew that by just being seen with a girl, his mother was going to have a couple of questions for him. Not wanting to let his mother make any assumptions, he began towards the car, but after only a few steps, he stopped.

What was her name?

He wanted to know what it was. Enough to deal with the prying questions from his mother. There was a slither of guilt that had twisted his chest for having forgotten it. After all, he had sat with her every single lunch over the past month. 

So, what was it?

Ethan looked back over his shoulder, "Hey, you're Sarah's friend, aren't you?".

"Y-yeah..." The girl answered with a small smile.

Ethan had hoped that her answered would have given away her name, and since it hadn't he was a little disheartened. But when he saw her lips curl ever so slightly at the edges, he couldn't help but smile back, only then noticing that his bad mood had dissolved after talking to her.

"I thought so" He responded and gave the girl a wave before he turned on his heel and ran around to the passenger door of the car, clambering inside.

It wasn't until the door had been shut and Ethan had begun to reach for the seat belt that his mother asked, "Who was that?".

"I don't know. I don't know her name" Ethan answered, clicking the seat belt into place before glancing down at the damp bag between his feet. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to look his mother in the eyes, and he could feel heat rising in his cheeks. 

"But you just gave her your jacket?" His mother questioned curiously, a knowing grin gracing her sharp features as she began to pull the car away from the curb.

"Yeah... I just didn't want her to be cold" Ethan answered honestly. 

It really was the truth, so he didn't understand why he was suddenly felt so flustered. Was it because his mother's expression had insinuated that she might have been a girl that he fancied? Was the very thought of liking a girl making him feel this way? 

As the car turned and headed back towards the exit of the parking lot, Ethan gazed out of the window at the blurred image of the girl who held his jacket to her chest with clenched hands, still shaking just as violently as she had been when he first saw her.

Regardless of the butterflies that had began fluttering in his chest, he had decided in that moment that he wanted to get to know her better.


	31. Chapter 31

For a moment, a silence that drowned out the chatter of the party-goers and the thumping of the music fell over them. It was as though only the pair of them existed together, gazing into each others eyes, an electricity stirring between them.

Ethan had finally remembered why Avery had felt so familiar to him.

He remembered why he had stopped mid-sentence that day in the cafeteria when he had come to sit opposite her; he had recognised those kind eyes and shy nature. He had remembered, during the art lesson, where he had seen that wide smile that lifted her cheeks so high that he could barely see her eyes underneath them.

He knew now where he had seen them before.

_____

Four Years Ago, middle school.

"Ethan, I understand that Brandon is your best friend but you can't be letting him distract you during class" Miss Denver frowned, raising her hand to push her red-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose. 

Ethan pursed his lips and gazed down at the ground. It had already been half an hour since everybody else had left school. Miss Denver had held him back and shown him his most recent assignments, lecturing him about the standard of his work which had been particularly lacking in the last few months.

"If this happens one more time, I'm going to have to call your parents and discuss your behaviour".

At this statement Ethan's eyes widened and he stood up from his desk hastily, slamming his hands down against the wooden top, "No! Please don't... I promise it won't happen again, okay?" he pleaded, staring into Miss Denver's dark eyes.

"Make sure of it" Miss Denver scowled, her eyes moving to meet his.

It was when she saw the desperation behind Ethan's eyes that her expression softened and she continued, "I want you to be aware that your father has been in constant contact with the school as of late. He has not been happy with your current grades and many teachers have suggested that the lower scores are due to your lack of attention in class. Of course..." Miss Denver paused, thinking carefully about the way she should word her next sentence, "Some teachers, not myself of course, have pointed a finger towards your best friend, Brandon Giddian, as the reason for the drop in your grades over the last few months. While I will not stand prejudice against any of my students, I highly recommend that you study harder for the upcoming midterm tests to prove those teachers, and your parents, wrong".

Ethan had held eye contact with with Miss Denver for most of her speech and only broken his gaze away when a feeling of frustration rushed through his body at the name 'Brandon Giddian'. He fell back onto the plastic chair with a thud and let a long sigh escape through his lips. Of course his parents had gotten involved, and of course the teachers would all point fingers at Brandon, he was, after all, the school troublemaker.

Miss Denver's lips curled into a look of sympathy as she leant back against the desk in front of Ethan's, "You are a bright young man, and I hope that we do not loose such a talented student".

Ethan huffed at this statement. He had been groomed all his life to the bright and talented young man that his father wanted him to be. All he really wanted though was to be able to have some fun for once. That's what Brandon did, made things fun.

Ethan nodded once and reached down to snatch up his bag. He was angry, not at Miss Denver, but at the way his parents had chosen to stick their nose into his social and school life and threatened to take everything good away again over a few B-minuses on his report cards. He was still one of the top performing students, why did it matter so much?

Ethan strided towards the classroom door, feeling a sense of relief when he had reached it without another word from his English teacher and yanked the door open. Only when it had thudded shut behind him did he clench his fists and mutter, "I don't want to leave either". 

The school hallways were empty, and Ethan decided to skip a trip to his locker, knowing that if he took a detour, his mum would arrive before he had gotten to the parking lot and would ask questions about why he had been held back. Luckily, she was usually half an hour late from work anyway.

His mood worsened as he approached the clear double door's of the school's entrance only to see rain pounding against the asphalt of the parking lot, the howling wind rattling the door hinges. Great.

Then, as he stepped up to the door and grasped the handle, bracing himself for the spit of water and blow of wind, he saw her. He recognised the shoulder-length blonde hair immediately. She was friend's with Sarah and Michelle, girls who sat with Ethan and his friends at lunch. Though, he could not remember the blonde's name. 

She stood, staring out into the thundering rain with her arms wound tightly around her. She was shaking so violently that Ethan wondered why she hadn't thought to bring a jacket to school that morning considering the weather forecast. 

He pushed the door open, immediately feeling the bite of freezing cold wind and spit of the rain against his bare arms as he stepped outside. 

Beginning towards her, he noted the emptiness of the parking lot and felt a sense of relief that he could not see his mother's silver land Cruiser waiting for him, though he hoped she would arrive soon.

"You're still here?" Ethan called, speaking loudly over the pounding of the rain.

The girl startled and whipped around, almost slipping on the wet concrete as her pale blue eyes settled on him. Ethan noticed the pink flush of her pale cheeks and nose as she nodded shyly and dropped her gaze to the ground.

It was a few moments before she replied, "I'm waiting to get picked up".

It was only when the corners of the blonde's lips dropped in a brief look of dejection that Ethan remembered something Sarah had told him a month ago when he had asked why she never spoke.

'I think it's because of some bad stuff going on at her home. I once tried to ask her about it but she just shook her head and said that she didn't wanna talk about it and that everything was fine. She is super sweet and really nice once you get her to talk though, I hope there isn't anything too bad going on behind her smile' 

Ethan found himself wondering for a brief moment if the reason she was still waiting had anything to do with her parents, but he quickly dismissed the thought, not wanting to make any assumptions based on what Sarah had said.

A sense of valiance fell over Ethan and he took a couple of steps forward, sliding his bag off his shoulder and onto the damp concrete. He unzipped his bag and rummaged through it for the blue jacket that his mother had forced upon him that morning in anticipation of the rain. 

He found it at the bottom of his bag and pulled it out, standing back up to hold it out to the girl, "My mum will be here any minute now, so take this while you wait" He said, trying his best to give the girl an encouraging smile.

The girl's eyes had widened at his gesture and she looked between him and the jacket with a stunned look, "but..." she began in such a quiet tone that Ethan had barely heard it over the thundering of the rain.

Before she could continue, a bright light appeared at the entrance of the parking lot and the girl turned to watch it approach. A look of hopefulness had sparked in her eyes and Ethan watched as the car got closer, and the light that briefly glinted in her eyes died out, replaced with disappointment.

Was her mum or dad supposed to have already shown up? He thought, shoving the thought from his head as the girl's eyes flickered back towards him.

Ethan shoved the jacket into the girl chest and she grasped it without too much thought.

"That's my mum now" Ethan said, leaning down to zip up his bag and hoist it over his shoulder.

Ethan could see the blurred image of his mother staring at him from inside the car, her curious green eyes moving between him and the girl. He knew that by just being seen with a girl, his mother was going to have a couple of questions for him. Not wanting to let his mother make any assumptions, he began towards the car, but after only a few steps, he stopped.

What was her name?

He wanted to know what it was. Enough to deal with the prying questions from his mother. There was a slither of guilt that had twisted his chest for having forgotten it. After all, he had sat with her every single lunch over the past month. 

So, what was it?

Ethan looked back over his shoulder, "Hey, you're Sarah's friend, aren't you?".

"Y-yeah..." The girl answered with a small smile.

Ethan had hoped that her answered would have given away her name, and since it hadn't he was a little disheartened. But when he saw her lips curl ever so slightly at the edges, he couldn't help but smile back, only then noticing that his bad mood had dissolved after talking to her.

"I thought so" He responded and gave the girl a wave before he turned on his heel and ran around to the passenger door of the car, clambering inside.

It wasn't until the door had been shut and Ethan had begun to reach for the seat belt that his mother asked, "Who was that?".

"I don't know. I don't know her name" Ethan answered, clicking the seat belt into place before glancing down at the damp bag between his feet. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to look his mother in the eyes, and he could feel heat rising in his cheeks. 

"But you just gave her your jacket?" His mother questioned curiously, a knowing grin gracing her sharp features as she began to pull the car away from the curb.

"Yeah... I just didn't want her to be cold" Ethan answered honestly. 

It really was the truth, so he didn't understand why he was suddenly felt so flustered. Was it because his mother's expression had insinuated that she might have been a girl that he fancied? Was the very thought of liking a girl making him feel this way? 

As the car turned and headed back towards the exit of the parking lot, Ethan gazed out of the window at the blurred image of the girl who held his jacket to her chest with clenched hands, still shaking just as violently as she had been when he first saw her.

Regardless of the butterflies that had began fluttering in his chest, he had decided in that moment that he wanted to get to know her better.


	32. Chapter 32

That rainy afternoon four years ago was the beginning of an unpredictable month full of grief and anger that Ethan had buried deep down inside him. What he hadn't realised, was that a fond memory had been trapped underneath it all and shoved into the back of his mind. A memory holding lost feelings that Ethan hadn't experienced since then; feelings, that had all flooded back to him as he stared down into Avery's pale, glistening eyes.

Ethan's fingers curled into the dark fabric of his jacket as he took in Avery's features. The soft blonde locks that curled against her cheeks, the bright blue eyes that looked bewitching under the soft fairy lights that lined the garden. Those same blushed cheeks that he had seen when he had first met her. How had he taken so long to recognise her?

Ethan was suddenly hit by an overwhelming feeling a guilt. It was clear to him that Avery had recognised him, otherwise she wouldn't have mumbled those words;

'It's just like the first time that I met you...'

Had she recognised me that day in the cafeteria? When I introduced myself and asked for her name, how did that make her feel? Had I upset her? Why hadn't she said anything until now?

Ethan's stomach was filled with butterflies, his mind reeling with memories, but his heart with guilt.

Avery took the jacket and stood with the intention of pulling it over her now shivering body, but when she got to her feet, she immediately swayed forward and began to stumble. Ethan startled and stood up, grabbing Avery's waist to stop her from toppling over onto the lawn. 

Silence fell over the pair once again.

Ethan's fingers curled into the fabric of Avery's dress and he felt his cheeks beginning to heat. It wasn't that he had never touched a girl before, it was that his heart was swirling with forgotten feelings of endearment towards the gorgeous blonde in front of him.

It had taken Avery a few moments to stabilise herself and realise just what had happened. Her cheeks lit and she glanced down at the hands that cupped her waist at either side, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. 

Ethan slowly loosened his grip, making sure that Avery was able to stand on her own before dropping his hands away from her sides. Avery turned slowly, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"Oops" She mumbled, a flustered smile curling at her lips.

Ethan had forgotten that Avery was intoxicated. She had managed to hold a conversation with him that was relatively normal. Although, thinking about it now, he had done most of the talking. Regardless, the pink of Avery's cheeks and her sheepish smile was making his heart patter faster in his chest and he couldn't help but smile red-faced as he watched her make small shuffled steps to stay balanced.

Wanting to cover her blushed cheeks, Avery brought Ethan's jacket to her chin and looked down at it with a look of endearment. It smelt exactly how she remembered the blue jumper smelling, a soft pine, and she couldn't help but gaze up at him and wonder if he would smell this way if they ever hugged. Though, even she wasn't drunk enough to consider this as any more than a passing impossible thought.

Ethan had raised his hand and was scratching the back of his head awkwardly as another cold gust of wind blew past them. Avery shivered, and with a little bit of difficultly, she threw the jacket over her shoulders and pushed her hands through the sleeves ebfore wrapping her arms around her body. The jacket was already warm inside from Ethan's body heat so Avery instantly felt warmer.

Ethan watched as she put his jacket on. The guilt of not recognising Avery had briefly disappeared during his moment of heroism, but now that they stood in silence, his heart was sinking in his chest.

Ethan parted his lips to speak, "Avery..." he began, his unable to look the blonde in the eyes, "I'm sorry I-".

"Enjoying a lovely little romantic chat, huh?" A loud voice interrupted. 

Avery and Ethan both jolted and turned to look at the tall muscular red-headed girl who stood arms-crossed with a disgruntled expression.

Ethan would be lying if he said that the word 'romantic' hadn't made his heart leap in his stomach. Those old feelings from middle school were still swirling inside him but as he glanced down at a wide-eyed Avery, he quickly came to his senses.

"Where's Paige? Has she left my room yet?" He asked, trying to shift the conversation.

"No and she doesn't want to see you either. I actually came for..." Addison tilted her head, a smirk curling her lips, "Her" she finished, pointing at Avery. 

"M-me?" Avery questioned, raising her hand to her chest in confusion. Why on earth would Addison want me? Avery thought. 

"Yes you!" Addison stated, taking a step forward and wrapping her thick freckly fingers around Avery's upper arm, "Paige wants to ask you some questions about your hot little boy-toy".

"My hot little..." Avery mumbled to herself in dumbfound as Addison began to drag her towards the door, "boy toy...?". 

It took Avery several seconds to comprehend who Addison was talking about before she realised just where she was going and a heavy weight dropped into her stomach. 

"W-wait!" Avery stammered, casting a horror-stricken look back towards Ethan who had stayed standing by the concrete wall, "Wait, I don't want to go!" she pleaded.

"I don't give a fuck what you want" Addison scowled, giving Avery another rough tug. Avery could do nothing but watch in terrified silence as Addison's thick orange hair swayed with each step. Addison was far stronger than Avery and she was having a hard enough time staying on her heeled feet while being pulled along. 

It's okay... Avery took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. It's okay... I have Azrael. They can't hurt me anymore.

Avery used her free hand to push the backs and shoulder's or strangers to keep her balance as she was jostled through the crowd.

Tackling the ascent of the stairs was by far the hardest part of the journey. Avery had fallen forward onto her knees only three steps in and Addison had turned in a huff and wrapped her arm around the blonde, practically carrying her the rest of the way up to the second floor.

Upstairs was no quieter or less crowded than the floor below it. Every few steps when Avery managed to find balance for a brief moment she would look up from her feet to take in her surroundings. 

The floor was heavy populated by people making out and grinding into each other against the walls. It was a much smaller space so there were less people watching but Avery had to wonder how people didn't feel embarrassed showing that kind of affection so publicly. After all, Ethan had just grabbed her waist and even that made her feel very embarrassed.

After one final rough tug, Avery stumble forward, her forehead colliding with Addison's shoulder. The red-head growled under he breath and used her grip to jerk Avery away. After a short annoyed scowl in Avery's direction, Addison turned her attention back to the door and knocked three time.

Avery only had a few seconds to prepare herself before there was the distinctive sound of a door unlocking from the other side. Addison grasped the handle and twisted it, pushed the door open. It happened in a blur. She had been shoved forward, her right foot had bent to the side with a crooked step, and she had landed face-down against the hard wooden floor-boards.

"Ouch..." Avery groaned, pain splitting through her body. Her ankle was beginning to throb, her knees and elbows heating and prickling from the scrapes that she had received. Her head was spinning and when she attempted to opened her eyes, her surroundings looked as though they were rotating around her on their own.

It must have been a full thirty seconds before the dizziness subsided and she found the strength to pick herself up from the floor. 

"Oh, did that hurt?" The familiar mock-innocent voice asked, "So sorry about that!".

Avery had gotten to her hands and knees, her expression twisting in pain as her scratches stung beneath her. It was only after a long steadying breath that Avery managed to plaster a determined frown on her face and pushed herself up into a kneeling position.

"I'm not scared of you anymore Paige" Avery stated, her eyes flickering up to Paige who was sitting with her legs crossed at the end of the bed. 

Paige chuckled, reaching up to brush her long brunette hair over her shoulder, "Did you just hear that Addy? She said that she's not scared of me anymore". Paige pressed her tongue to the side of her mouth as she glared down at Avery, "That just can't do now, can it?".

Avery took a sharp breath, taking a brief moment to think of what to say, "Why are you even doing this Paige? Because of Ethan? That's not a problem anymore. I have a boyfriend... you've seen-".

"Who? That pretty little boy-toy that you brought with you to the party? Pfft Please. I'm not an idiot" Paige snickered, "A guy like that wouldn't date you. How much are you paying him to pretend to like you? $100 dollars an hour?".

Avery felt like she had been staked in the chest. 

Paige is right. Azrael would never date someone like me. In fact, I am paying for him; paying with my life. Avery knew this, she purposely forced that very fact out of her mind every second of the day because she hated the very thought of it. 

Paige stood, crossing her arms over her chest as she began toward the large open window on the other side of the room.

"And you say that you aren't a problem, huh?" She grumbled, "Then tell me why you're wearing Ethan's jacket? Tell my why I look out the window and see the pair of you staring into each others eyes? Tell me why-" Paige growled, turning daggered eyes on Avery, "I sat here, and watched you fake a fall so that Ethan would wrap his arms around your fucking waist?".

Avery's eyes widened. Paige was watching, she had seen everything that had happened.


	33. Chapter 33

"I didn't-" Avery began.

"Oh shut up, Avery" Paige snarled as she began a slow stride towards her, "You always act so fucking innocent but I know that you have a crush on Ethan".

Avery's eyebrows knitted together, "How do you know that?" she questioned, "Because I looked at him once? Because you heard some rumour from one of the girls at school?" she challenged.

There was no possible way that Paige had irrefutable evidence that Avery had a crush on Ethan. As far as she knew, all of this torment stemmed from her glancing Ethan once; but how on earth was that enough to know that she liked Ethan? She did, Paige was right, but Avery hadn't attempted to approach him or talk to him until recently. So what is it exactly that makes Paige so sure.

"I knew I recognised your face when you first started at Lakeshore. It wasn't until a little birdie told me that you had a crush on Ethan that I remembered where I had seen you" Paige began, stopping in front of Avery, a mean expression crinkling her nose, "Ethan's eighth grade journal. He had written all about you, kept a picture of you and your friends between the pages".

Avery's bottom lip dropped open, a look of absolute dumbfound falling over her. Ethan had written about her in a journal? Had she really made that much of an impression on him all those years ago? 

Paige scoffed and glanced away from Avery in disgust, pressing her tongue to the corner of her mouth, "Of course, after everything that Ethan went through that year he didn't remember who you were. It was clear though, that you remembered him, and that's why I know that you have a crush on him". 

Avery was too taken aback by the fact that Ethan had written down his memories of her and kept a photo to have taken in much of what Paige had said next.

Did he care about the time that we had spent together just as much as I did? She thought, flashbacks of the month following their rainy meeting playing like a reel in her head; The fall dance, their night of hide and seek together, and the day that she had had found out that he had left school and wasn't coming back.

Avery expression had softened into a look of quiet contentment. Paige's words had brought with them a feeling of joy. So there was a reason that he had forgotten me? 

Unfortunately though, it was Avery's expression which had confirmed what Paige had already convinced herself.

"Addison" Paige snapped.

Avery yelped as Addison's fingers curled into Avery's up-do and pulled it upward harshly. 

Avery reached up and wrapped her hands around Addison's wrist, wincing, and attempted to push her hand away but Addison's grip was too firm.

Paige scowled and knelt down front of Avery, her eyes full of hatred, "Listen here, slut. Stay the fuck away from Ethan or I'll-"

"You'll what?" A curious voice interrupted.

Paige's eye snapped upward and Addison turned hastily to see who had walked in. Avery wasn't able to turn her head but she already knew who that voice belonged to.

"You know, I distinctly remember saying that I'd 'ruin you' if you ever touched Avery again" Azrael smiled, raising an eyebrow at the brunette who was glaring at him, a look of annoyance plastered across her face.

Paige scoffed, getting to her feet, "Azrael? Was it?" She began, "You're wasting your time trying to protect this slut. She doesn't even like you, she has a crush on Ethan Wilson. You know, the guy I was sitting next to during truth or dare?".

At this Azrael's lips curled into a smirk and a short chuckle escaped him, "You mean the guy that you cling onto desperately even though he will never like you back?" Azrael questioned mockingly.

Paige bottom lip dropped open in astonishment as Azrael stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. His eye briefly turned to Addison who immediately let go of Avery and stepped to the side of the room.

Avery turned to look over her shoulder, ignoring the sting of her ankle and knees as her eyes flickered up to Azrael. The moment that Avery's pale eyes met his, Azrael's expression softened and his smirk returned to that smile that Avery had become so accustomed to. 

"That's coming from the guy who can't even see this little bitch for who she truly is" Paige snapped angrily.

Azrael reached his hand out for Avery, their gaze unwavering from one another as Avery's face lit with a grateful smile and she reached to take it. 

"Who Avery truly is?" Azrael began, his eyes moving back to the seething brunette who was baring her teeth in outrage.

Avery got to her feet and Azrael wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her body to his side.

"Avery is the epitome of good, and kindhearted. She will always put others before herself, and anybody, or anything, that has the privilege to cross paths with her, will always come out better for knowing her then they would without. Traits that a girl like you, Paige, will never, ever have. So I suggest you shove your pathetic attempt to tarnish Avery's reputation up your arse, and leave her the fuck alone or so help me, I really will ruin you".

Paige's bottom lip had dropped even lower. She now stared at Azrael completely horrified at the words that had been spoken to her. Addison wore an expression very similar. She was watching Paige with a look of dumbfound, wondering just how her unyielding friend would respond to such harsh words.

Avery's fingers had curled into the black fabric of Azrael's shirt as she stared down at the floor, dumbstruck. Does he really think that I'm kindhearted and good? Did he just say those things to bother Paige? Is this all just an act?

Regardless of the swirl of questions that had flooded her mind, regardless of the fact that Avery wasn't sure whether they those words had been true, feelings of joy and happiness were creeping into her chest. Nobody had ever said such nice things about her, nobody had ever stood up for her like that. All of the confusion and pain had washed away and was now replaced by endearment and admiration. 

It must have been thirty seconds before Paige managed to collect herself enough to speak, "Don't come crying to me when Avery dumps you for Ethan" she growls, "Let's go Addison". Paige began towards the door, making sure to bump her shoulder roughly into Azrael's as she passed, her bodyguard following her out of the room with her head held low.

Their was the distinct sound of the door closing behind them which let Azrael know that the girls had left. 

Azrael let a long sigh escape him, his arm loosening on Avery's waist before it dropped away.

"I'm sorry that I showed up so late. I was watching, and I thought that you were handling yourself nicely. Of course though, I couldn't let that red-headed girl hurt you like that without stepping in" Azrael said, wondering towards the bed and taking a seat on the end of it.

Avery had brought her bottom lip between her teeth as she felt the heat of Azrael's body move away, and her heart had fallen into the pit of her stomach. He hadn't wasted a moment before moving away from Avery after Paige had left. Was it all just an act after all? She thought, feeling a little hurt.

Azrael's lips curled into a smile as he continued, "You know, I never had a chance to see if I could get wasted as a demon and-".

"Stop" Avery began, her hands curling into fists at her sides.

Avery's abrupt interruption had brought Azrael aback, and he turned to look a her in surprise.

It wasn't until Avery's eyes had met Azrael's that she felt strong emotions beginning to bubble up inside of her; overwhelming feelings of disappointment and uncertainty weighing down her stomach and making her feel empty.

"Tell me the truth" She murmured, raising a hand to the thumping of her heart in her chest.

Azrael's expression twisted in confusion and he parted his lips to speak, only for Avery to cut him off, "Tell me the truth... did you mean what you just said to Paige?".

A silence fell in the room as Azrael's eyes widened in realisation before they dropped to the floor in hesitation.

He had said all of these things without really thinking. What Paige had said about Avery made him really angry, that bitch didn't know what she was talking about. Paige had clearly never even tried to get to know her, and that really bothered Azrael.

More than anything he wanted to defend Avery, because she didn't deserve to be called a 'slut' or a 'bitch', let alone be told by something with such a horrible personality that she was a waste of time. Not when she was so willing to treat a demon as a friend rather than a slave. Not when she wanted to go out of her way to give him the human experiences that he missed. Not when Avery was the only person who had ever made him feel wanted.

"Yes, I did" he answered simply, his crimson eyes flickering up to Avery, sincerity and certainty glistening through them.

"Then why did you-" Avery stopped, bringing her bottom lip between her teeth. 

She had only realised halfway through her sentence exactly what she was about to say, and her cheeks quickly turned a bright red as her eyes fell to the floor in embarrassment. 

It didn't matter though that she hadn't said it aloud. Azrael had heard it inside her head so clearly, and his heart had leapt in his chest. 

'Then why did you let go of me so quickly?'

There was a reason Azrael was so determined to get wasted tonight. He had been haunted by the dream that he had accidental overheard and figured that if he drunk enough alcohol he could forget about it, at least for a short while. What he hadn't counted on was the fact that a demon apparently can't get drunk. 

With each red cup that had littered the floor by his feet downstairs - possibly twenty or thirty standard drinks - he had thought about Avery. Thought about how it would feel to have her laying on top of him, thought about having his fingertips brush against her back, thought about his thumb lifting her chin ever so gently... and then...

Azrael brought his bottom lip between his teeth. 

Those thoughts are stupid and selfish. Avery would be much better off staying away from a monster like me. If I had any shred of decency I wouldn't have let her sign that contract at all. This is all my fault for thinking that I... that I...

Azrael's eyes lifted to meet Avery's. Tears had began to well in her eyes as she stared at him. Azrael's expression had been so intense and resentful that she had suddenly wondered if she had said something wrong, if he was about to yell at her again. 

Azrael's resolve crumbled like paper as he heard her thoughts.

Without a moment of hesitation, he stood, grasped Avery's shoulder, and pulled her tightly into an embrace.

Avery gasped, her heart hammering against her chest as she felt Azrael's fingertips brushed against her back, up her neck, and then tangle in her hair. 

"Please don't cry" Azrael muttered, his lips pursing together as his heart and head battled over the next sentence that escaped his lips, "If you want me to hold you, all you have to do is ask".

Avery had realised in an instant that Azrael had heard her thoughts. She didn't know whether to feel happy that he was now holding her, or annoyed that he had read her mind again. In the end though, she couldn't deny that this was much better than having him yell at her, and so her fingers curled into Azrael's shirt at his sides and she closed her eyes, savouring the moment.

Azrael's fingers pressed into Avery's spine and he began to press small circles into her back. 

This is stupid.

Avery smiled into his chest, and she remembered the dream that she had had. How the feeling of Azrael's finger's brushing against her back felt so familiar to her. She stirred, leaning her head back in his hand so that she could gaze up at him, her cheeks flushed red.

Azrael felt his heart leap once again, a heat igniting in his chest as he gazed down into her pale eyes.

This is selfish.

The hand that had been entwined in Avery's hair moved to Avery's cheek and Azrael's fingertips pressed to her soft skin. Avery was completely captivated by the way his lips were trapped between his teeth and the crimson gaze didn't waver from her own. This is just like... Avery thought, pulling her hand loose from Azrael's hold and reaching up to brush Azrael's thick curly hair away from his face.

Avery would be better off staying away from a demon like me.

A short breath escaped Azrael's lips as he quickly reached up to grasp her wrist and lowered it to his lips. Gently, he pressed a feather-soft kiss to her knuckle, causing Avery's eyes to widen and her insides to begin to heat rapidly. Azrael felt his heart-beat quicken in his chest as he took in Avery's flustered reaction. He couldn't shake the voice no louder than a whisper screaming inside him;

If I had any shred of decency I would never have let her sign that contract at all.

Azrael lowered Avery's hand, his fingertips returning to her cheek. His skin brushed gently against her jaw as his thumb descended to her chin. Azrael's eyes flickering to Avery's lips as he pressed his thumb against the untainted skin of her lip and tilted her head ever so slightly upwards. Avery parted her lips, her eyes fluttering shut in anticipation.

This is all my fault for thinking that I... that I...


	34. Chapter 34

It felt like an eternity.

Azrael's thumb had moved away, and he had placed his hand on her shoulder. Short wavering breaths escaped Avery as she waited to feel soft skin press to her lips. Then she felt it, Azrael's warm breath against her right ear as he spoke, "We can't do this".

Avery's eye's fluttered open, the butterflies in her stomach quickly turning hollow, and the heat of her body rapidly dispersing.

Azrael hovered by her ear for a brief moment, his faltering breath brushing her skin before he took a step away from Avery, letting go of her.

Avery had fallen into a state of deep shock and embarrassment. Why hadn't he kissed her? Had she imagined everything? Had she just embarrassed herself by puckering her lips? Was she the only one who had just felt that rush of heat throughout her body? 

Azrael pursed his lips, forcing his eye back towards Avery who stared at him wordlessly. He wanted to say something to her, explain that he wanted to kiss her but that he couldn't bring himself to do it. Tell her that taking this relationship any further would do nothing but bring her pain and misery. 

His head and heart were divided. Part of him wanted nothing more than to fulfil her intimate dream; it was all that he had thought about for the entirety of the night, but the other part, the more sensible part, knew that letting this get out of hand would ruin Avery. He had done many things wrong already, he didn't want to add kissing her to that list.

"I'm sorry" Azrael muttered, his eyes quickly returning to the floor so that he could avoid Avery's unrelenting gaze. 

Avery couldn't find any words. It's okay... I'm sorry too... But why... why didn't you kiss me? Her thoughts and feelings had become all muddled together and were getting caught in her throat as she watched him. It was clear to her that he regretted the whole thing, he couldn't even bring his eyes to meet hers.

Azrael reached up to scratch the back of his head in vexation, "We should get back to the party".

Avery could do nothing but give a small nod as Azrael side stepped her and began towards the door. No, I don't want to let him leave like this.

The sound of the music and chatting party goers became much louder when the door to the room had been opened, it was only then that Avery gritted her teeth and turned on her heel, intending to ask him why, but it was too late;

Azrael had already disappeared.

_____

Avery had become much more sober after everything that had happened, and so the mixed feelings of longing and embarrassment made her stomach feel empty and her chest void.

After spending several minutes staring at the empty doorway attempting to comprehend everything that had happened, Avery suddenly remembered why she had left Sadie to begin with. 

It only took her a few moments to find a toilet upstairs. As Avery stepped up to the sink, turning on the tap, she had a moment to glance herself in the mirror. She was glad that none of her makeup had run after her almost-cry, the girl that looked back at her in the mirror still looked so pretty, yet Avery frowned, a sense of deep disappointing clouding her eyes. 

She hadn't noticed it before now. Not when she had that intimate dream, not when she had laid her head against his lap the other night, not even when he had taken her hand earlier that night, sending her chest into a fit of pounding. It wasn't until now that she realised just how much she wanted Azrael; to hold her and protect her. But why? She bit her lip in irritation, why do I want those things?

Avery managed to make it back down the stairs with the help of the railing and her new found sobriety. Sadie had been dancing her way through the crowd as Avery made her descent and when their eyes caught one another, a wide grin spread across Sadie's face.

"Avery!" She called as she danced over to the bottom of the stairs, "I've been looking for you! I was starting to think you were throwing up or something since you were taking so long".

Avery managed a small smile, "No... I haven't thrown up. I think I've actually sobered up a bit now..." she answered, not particularly wanting to tell her friend exactly what had happened to her.

Unfortunately though, Sadie could tell that something wasn't quite right, and her lips dropped into a frown. "What happened?" she asked, placing a hand on Avery's arm comfortingly.

Avery's eyes avoided her brown-eyed friend for a moment, she hadn't expected Sadie to see straight through her. What could she tell Sadie? That Paige and Addison had dragged her into a room and were likely about to do some horrible things? That she had just embarrassed herself thinking that Azrael wanted to kiss her?

"Was it Paige?" Sadie asked, glancing around the room as though looking for the culprit.

Yes... but... 

"No... it was Azrael... actually"

Sadie turned back to Avery with a look of irritation, "Azrael? What did that idiot do?" Sadie questioned, now looking at Avery with eyes full of concern.

Avery decided to confide in Sadie and told her what had happened with Azrael, all the while Sadie listened tentatively, making the appropriate outraged expressions and throwing the sentences, 'What an arsehole' and 'What's his problem?' as needed throughout Avery's story. 

"You're his girlfriend right?! Why wouldn't he want to kiss you. I swear if I see that-" 

"No!" Avery interjected hastily, "Please don't say anything to him... I'm sure he had his reasons...".

Sadie stared at Avery for a moment before huffing and grabbing Avery's hand, "Fine, but you need another drink. Forget your stupid boyfriend! We can dance the rest of the night away together!" Sadie stated with a smile, beginning to pull Avery through the crowd and toward the kitchen.

Avery managed a little chuckle, feeling a little better now that Sadie had defended her story without hesitation. There was only one thing that still ate at Avery though, one thing that made Avery feel stupid for being hurt. Azrael wasn't really her boyfriend, and therefore he had no obligation to kiss her. In fact, she had no right to be angry at him, and as much as she wanted to blame the alcohol she had consumed, she wasn't sure she could.

She did know one thing though; with enough alcohol she would be able to get back that good mood she was in before everything had happened. Right now, she really just wanted to forget what had almost happened.

_____

Sadie had no problem filling up Avery's cup every time that it emptied over the next hour. With each drink, Avery became less and less aware of her surroundings. Everything began to blur again, this time worse than the last, and she stumbled on what felt like every second step. The only thing that kept her drinking was the fact that as the night drew on, it became easier and easier to forget the almost-kiss with Azrael. That's all she really wanted.

Sadie had just left the dance floor to fetch another round of drinks when Avery felt a sudden uncomfortable lurch in her stomach and she stumbled forward, grasping her stomach. A-Am I going to vomit? Avery clapped her hand over her mouth as she felt her stomach lurch again. I AM going to vomit.

Avery looked around hastily. Her first thought was that she should go and find a toilet but as she looked through the thick crowd jumping and grinding against one another, she realised that there was no way he would get there in time. Outside! I need to get outside!

Avery began towards the front door, shoving her way through the crowd, feeling the hot contents of her stomach rising up her throat. 

The cool night air hit Avery like the first breath after being held underwater. She stumbled down the front steps, almost falling flat on her face on the last one but managing to keep her footing as she hurried across the lawn to the garden bed lining the fence.

It was horrible.

The moment that Avery had dropped her hand from her mouth, a waterfall of a foul smelling orange liquid spluttered from her lips and splashed against the soil in front of her feet. She reached out her hand so that she could balance herself on the fence as each wave of vomit ascended her throat before it decorated the flowers below.

The only saving grace for this situation was that with each spurt of bile that left her stomach, she began to feel better and better. 

I think I drank too much...

Avery must have been standing there for an entire five minutes, coughing and spitting the entire contents of her stomach onto the ground before she felt like her stomach had nothing else to give. 

She brought the back of her hand to her lips and attempted to rub the remain bile from her lips. 

With a relieved feeling, Avery stumbled sideways towards the street, using the fence to keep herself upright as she tried to create some distance from the smell. When she got to the end, she turned and lean't back against the cool metal, welcoming the chilly breeze against her skin and the fresh oxygen in her lungs.

I'm never going to drink again.

Avery had been expecting the people who stood in the front yard to be looking at her and laughing, but luckily there were only a small trio of boys across the yard, all of which looked way too forgone to have paid her any mind.

Avery took another deep breath before she pushed herself up from the fence and stumbled onto the footpath, intending to take a seat on the curb. Then, as Avery took that first step toward the street that she saw him.

Azrael stood, leaning against the tree on the other side of the road. He was shrouded in shadows but Avery recognised those bright crimson eyes immediately. 

An intense feeling of discontent flooded through Avery and her lips set into a deep frowned. She didn't want to see or talk to Azrael right now after everything that had happened. She didn't know what she would say, or do after having drunk this much alcohol. Unfortunately she would have to face him eventually, mostly because he was her ride home and she was just about ready to crawl into bed and pass out.

Avery was just about to ignore Azrael and sit down when he did something incredibly strange that made Avery's eyebrows knit together in confusion.

He raised his hand and waved at her.

What is he doing? Avery wondered in dumbfound. Does he want me to go over there?

Avery sighed, brushing a strand of hair away from her face as she stepped up to the curb. She looked both ways to make sure there was no car coming, before stepping onto the road. As much as she just wanted to sit down, she figured that if she went over to him now, she could ask him to take her home sooner. 

Suddenly, Avery felt a large hand wrap around her upper arm and pull her backwards. She gasped, the back of her foot tripping over the curb as she stumbled back. If it wasn't for the firm grip around her arm she would have fallen, but after a couple of attempts at planting her feet firmly on the ground she was able to find her balance again.

"Where do you think you're going?".

Avery's eyes widened in confusion. That voice. But how?

Her eyes darted hastily upward, widening further as they set on Azrael's annoyed face glaring down at her, "The last thing you should be doing is going wandering off when you're clearly very intoxicated" He grumbled through clenched teeth.

Avery's bottom lip had dropped open and her heart had began to pound in her chest, "B-But... you...".

Her eyes darted back across the road, but the red-eyed figure that had been shrouded in darkness had disappeared.


	35. Chapter 35

Avery couldn't tell if what she had just seen was real, or if it was the alcohol playing tricks on her. She knew perfectly well that Azrael was capable of teleporting instantly, but she had been looking at the figure across the road when the hand had wrapped around her arm. She had only looked away when she had stumbled -after having been tugged back. So how was it possible that he was in two places at once?

Avery blinked a couple of times as she heard Azrael calling her name in a concerned parent-like tone.

"Avery! Hey?!" She felt his grip on her arm tighten, "Look at me!".

Avery's eyes rolled back to Azrael and she gawked at him dumbfounded, as he glared down at her.

"Jeez, how much did you drink?" He asked rhetorically.

The spaced out, hazy look in the blonde's eyes was all that he needed to answer that question himself, "Of course, you're wasted" he grumbled in annoyance.

It was this authoritative tone that really struck a nerve with Avery and she promptly forgot about the figure across the road.

"Wasted??" She began heatedly, now struggling against Azrael's grip. Azrael stubbornly tightened his fingers around her arm, his red eyes glinting an angered red.

"You're the one that encouraged me to drink, remember? You can't be angry that I actually did it!!" Avery retorted, a childish defiance washing over her, "If you don't like it, you can just go away!". 

Azrael sighed, glancing away from the blonde as he tried to calm the frustration brewing inside him, "If you really want me to go away I have to abide by your wish, so if you don't mean it, you better take it back right now" he grumbled.

Avery clenched her jaw and ground her teeth together. If Azrael left, she wouldn't have any ride home and she didn't want to be stuck at this party any longer. Despite her willingness to fight against Azrael, she felt exhausted. She knew that the moment she laid her head on a pillow she would fall asleep.

Avery swallowed her pride, although she still felt an intense irritation towards the demon that refused to release her.

"Fine, but I want to go home and you're not allowed to look at, talk to, or touch me anymore" She demanded childishly, attempting once more to yank her arm from Azrael's grip. 

Azrael loosened his grip, making sure that Avery was able to stand by herself before completely letting her go. He took in a deep breath and glanced away from the blonde, his eyes closing in vexation. 

Avery took a wobbly step away from him, her blurred vision setting on his handsome face. Even through the haze of alcohol, Avery could tell that Azrael was not very happy with the instructions that she had given him, and she took some gratification from that fact. Avery's eyes drifted back to the demon’s face, and her heart fluttered as she caught sight of his soft pink lips, scowling.

"U-Umm... Good!" She stuttered, stumbling past the dark-haired demon and trying to conceal the rush of blood that was undoubtedly tinting her cheeks, "Now take me home". 

_____

Avery thought that she would enjoy the silence of the car ride, but as the low hum of the engine filled her ears, she became more and more aware of just how much she wanted Azrael to say something, anything. But if Avery had the choice, she would want him to explain why he hadn't kissed her when they were upstairs. She knew that he was mute because she had ordered him not to speak, but she was sure that even if Azrael was able to, he wouldn't say anything anyway.

She glanced over to the driver's seat where Azrael sat wordlessly, his eyes glued to the road ahead. His lips had settled into a thin line and he looked as though he had resigned himself to Avery's instructions. 

Avery bit at the inside of her lip as she turned back to the window and let herself slide slightly further into her seat.

This was the first time that Avery had properly used the authority of the contract over Azrael. At first it had felt amazing to be able to just get what she wanted, but now, having seen the forbearing expression across Azrael's face, she was beginning to feel guilty.

She still remembered what he had said to Paige; “Avery is the epitome of good and kind-hearted. She will always put others before herself. And anybody, or anything, that has the privilege to cross paths with her, will always come out better for knowing her, then they would without”.

He had said that he meant those words... but now she was using the contract to make him do stupid, childish things. Would he still think those good things about her after the anger-induced commands she had made tonight? Was she now acting just like his previous owners did - the people who would treat him like a slave?

Avery balled her hands into fists at the very thought. She never wanted to be anything like those people. Despite him being a demon, Azrael was capable of feeling pain and suffering just like any human, and she hated the very idea that she could cause those feelings to surface inside him.

Regardless, Avery couldn't bring herself to say anything to him, even if only to tell him that he was allowed to talk. The heavy feeling in her chest that was initially caused by the memory of their almost-kiss had worsened as she faced the realisation of her abuse of power over him. She felt almost as though she had no right to talk to him, and she thought that if she tried, she might start crying again.

Avery was brought back to reality as she felt the car begin to slow as Azrael pulled to the curb in front of her house.

Azrael pulled the handbrake up and put the car in neutral so that it would idle softly. He leant back into his seat and glanced out the window of his door, pressing his hands into his jacket pockets as a heavy breath escaped through his nose. Avery glanced across to the dark-haired boy who continued to abide by the commands she had made at the party.

"I..." Avery began softly, mustering as much courage as she could, "Thank you... for driving me".

She expected Azrael to nod, or at least acknowledge that she had spoken to him, but he continued to stare out of the window unmoving. Avery pursed her lips together anxiously before she turned towards the door and pulled the handle, pushing the door open. 

She turned, placing her feet firmly on the ground, but as she attempted to stand, her head spun and she stumbled forward, only barely keeping her balance with the help of the door. It was at this moment that Avery realised that she really was 'wasted', and she remembered the flight of stairs that awaited her just beyond her front door. There was no way that she could get upstairs to her bedroom by herself. 

Avery took a deep breath before slowly turning back to the car, lowering her head so that she could see the demon who still sat motionlessly in the driver's seat.

"Umm... A-Azrael..." She muttered, feeling heat begin to fill her stomach as her fingers pressed into the metal of the car door, "I don't think I can make it up the stairs... by myself".

At this Azrael's head shifted ever so slightly in the blonde's direction, enough so to indicate that he had heard what she had said. Avery felt a pang of anxiety rush through her at his indifference to her predicament before she suddenly remembered that she had ordered him not to speak, touch or look at her.

"Y-You can... talk and look at me now... b-by the way" She spoke uneasily. She was scared of the kind of harsh words that Azrael might throw at her after she had forced him into silence for the entire car ride, but she knew that she couldn't avoid talking to him forever.

Azrael's eyes glanced over to her. She thought that perhaps his eyes would give away what he was thinking, what he was feeling, but Avery found herself unable to interpret his unemotional expression.

_____

Azrael had been infuriated by Avery's drunken childishness, and as he had walked hands clenched to the red Ferrari, he had almost convinced himself to ignore her command and to yell at her for behaving so immaturely. Of course, that would have been in direct violation of the contract and thus he would have to face the consequences, something that he decided was simply not worth enduring just so he could tell her off.

It was only halfway through the drive back to Avery's house that he began to calm down, and he started to realise just how stupid he was acting. 

What right did he have to be telling this girl what she should and shouldn't do? What right did he have to ridicule her decisions when his own had landed him in hell?

Azrael's chest filled with frustration and his fingertips pressed harshly into the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.

Why? Why did I have to become so damn attached to this girl?

He hated the very thought of it. He knew that this might happen from the very beginning, and he had promised himself that he would not, under any circumstances, let himself get attached.

He thought that it would have been easy, but he wasn't prepared for the way Avery's eyes sparkled with such innocent sincerity when she whispered “Promise that you will always protect me?' the night that she had signed the contract. Without so much as a thought, the words 'I promise' had left his lips”.

He wasn't prepared for the way her expression lit so brightly as he watched her make her first friends with Sadie and Ethan in the cafeteria the following day. He caught his lips curling in contentment that she was finally able to meet people who stood by her.

He wasn't prepared for the way his body moved unconsciously after her fight with Aiden, nor the heat that seemed to flood through his body when her forehead pressed to his chest.

Then there was the night she had laid her head against his legs in an attempt to comfort him as he spoke about his father. He had heard her thoughts then, she had been staring into his eyes as she thought; “Tell me more about you, I want to be closer to you”. It had brought with it butterflies in his stomach and a sudden abrupt sense of guardianship over this fragile human.

As if all of that wasn't enough to awaken the dormant feelings of fondness within him, she had to go and let him find out about her dream. How was it that she could dream of such intimacy with such a horrible creature? His first reaction was to talk some sense into her, but then he felt his cheeks heat as he imagined what it would feel like to live that dream. He had struggled the entire night trying to forget about it but it was impossible.

It was because of these small moments that he had felt such anger tonight.

He was enraged by the way she put herself in danger by drinking way too much and then proceeding to try and wander away from the party. He was frustrated when she called him out for trying to tell her off for something he had convinced her to do in the first place. Perhaps most importantly though, he was aggravated by his own selfish behaviour when he had brought his lips within an inch of her own only a few hours prior.

As much as the flames of irritation burned within him, he wasn't really angry at Avery. He was angry at himself for letting his own feelings get out of hand.

Azrael bit the inside of his cheek, his grip loosening on the steering wheel. 

This needs to stop. I can't let myself continue to get more attached to her. Perhaps even worse, I can't let her get any more attached to me. Not after everything I have done.

It was as Azrael pulled to the curb in front of Avery's house, that he had made up his mind.

I will stop letting Avery pretend that I am her friend when I am nothing more than a servant of hell.


	36. Chapter 36

Avery felt a guilty pang in her chest as she watched the dark-haired demon stare back at her. Azrael’s crimson gaze held no note of anger anymore, instead, he seemed to look straight through her with empty indifference. 

Avery could feel her chest tightening in knots as she curled her fingers into fists, and forced her eyes away from him in the hope that the unpleasant feeling of contrition would disappear. She would have rather let him yell at her over the way he was acting now. At least then she could tell what he was thinking.

Avery took a wobbly step back from the car, still gripping the very corner of the door. Her intention was to ask Azrael to help her up to her bedroom so that she wouldn’t have to tackle the flight of stairs by herself but the look Azrael had given her was making her think better of it.

She took a sharp breath and glanced back over to Azrael who still stared at her with those same emotionless eyes.

“Uhh… nevermind, I’ll umm… Thank you for the ride...” Avery murmured, giving Azrael a goodnight nod and closing the door slowly. She thought that he would at least say goodnight, but even as she hesitated to close the door he still held his silence.

With a soft thud, Avery took an unsteady step back and let her eyes drop to the grass below her. 

I really really messed up, didn’t I? He really does hate me now doesn’t he? Perhaps it was the alcohol, but she could feel her eyes beginning to get teary and she raised her hand to her face, quickly wiping away the single tear that had escaped.

That was when she felt that familiar cold breath of wind blow through her and she raised her head, turning slowly to find Azrael standing behind her. 

“You can barely walk on your own, let me take you upstairs,” he whispered.

Avery felt her heart skip at his words. His crimson gaze was now filled with some kind of emotion, but it wasn’t forgiveness, instead, he looked almost pained. 

Avery couldn’t bring herself to respond with words and instead just nodded her head slowly. She felt as though the moment she was forced to speak, everything that she was thinking; that she was feeling, would all pour out at once. 

Azrael took a step towards Avery and reached out his hand for hers. It was only when Azrael’s hand came within an inch of Avery’s that his fingers curled together and his eyes flickered back to Avery’s. 

“You still haven’t given me permission to touch you,” he explained. 

Avery tried to swallow the tears threatening to pool in her eyes, “Y-You can touch me... again.” 

She couldn’t help but let a little sob escape during her sentence. That’s all that was needed for the tears to begin flowing heavily, streaking through the makeup that Sadie had spent so much time doing earlier that night. 

Avery brought her free hand to her face, trying to muffle her sobs and sniffs. She was sure that if it wasn’t for the alcohol she wouldn’t have gotten so emotional over the fact that she thought Azrael was angry at her. Now that she had started though, she couldn’t stop.

Azrael watched the blonde appraisingly for a moment, before he took a deep breath and stepped towards the sniffling blonde. 

Avery let a short gasp escape her as she felt one of Azrael’s arms curl around her waist, the other around her knees as he lifted her into the air.

Avery had instinctively grasped onto the leather covering his bicep with her left hand, the right gripping the black fabric at his chest. Her heart had skipped another beat the moment that her feet had left the ground.

Maybe it was the heat that radiated from his body or perhaps instead it was the soft beat of Azrael’s heart against her knuckles, but something about being in Azrael’s arms stopped the tears from flowing and filled Avery’s chest with comfort. 

Azrael turned, beginning towards the house wordlessly as Avery attempted to calm her shaky breaths. 

Eyes now pink and puffy, Avery turned to look up at Azrael. Her vision was still a little hazy from the amount of alcohol she drank but even so, if she focused hard enough, she could study each of his features.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the deep red that set his eye ablaze. Her gaze travelled the length of Azrael’s jawline, finding its way to the soft lips that she had almost kissed. 

She still wondered why he hadn’t kissed her back then. The way that he had pressed his fingertips to her skin, had gazed down into her eyes with such longing, the way he had brought his lips within an inch of her own. Why? Why had he done all of those things if he didn’t want to kiss her? 

Azrael had managed to make it through the front door, locking it behind him and was now ascending the stairs. His grip was gentle but steady and with each movement, she would feel his chest moving against her side. 

I should ask him. There is no reason why I shouldn't ask him. Avery thought, her fingers gripping his shirt tighter. Wait! Wait… maybe this is a bad idea… the alcohol its… But Avery’s thoughts trailed off as Azrael came to Avery’s bedroom door and pushed it open.

He left the door open as he strode towards the bed. Avery’s fingers curled tighter into the fabric of Azrael’s shirt as he bent to place her on the bed, not because she was worried to fall, but because she wasn’t ready for him to leave. 

Azrael’s arms slid from around Avery’s waist and legs as he laid her body on the bed and Azrael raised his hand to grasp Avery’s fingers still holding onto him so tightly. He tugged her hand, expecting it to simply fall away from his chest, but Avery’s grip only tightened in defiance.

Azrael took a deep breath, his eyes trailing up Avery’s arm and to her face. Even if he couldn’t read her mind, her eyes would have given everything away. She looked at him with a burning desire. 

Azrael took a seat on the bed beside her, his hand still holding hers to his chest. 

She needed to know why, and Azrael knew that he would have to tell her eventually. Maybe then she could let it go.

Avery parted her lips to speak first but Azrael was quick to cut her off, “I am a demon, Avery,” he reminded her in a whisper.

“The more attached you become to me, the worse off you will be. I shouldn’t have let myself get this close to you to begin with. Letting this become anything more is a mistake”.

Avery gazed up at Azrael, her lips pressing into a line as she studied him. You were the one who pulled me close, you were the one that caressed my cheek so gently, you were the one that tilted my chin up to meet yours… are you telling me that you didn’t want to kiss me? Are you telling me that you didn’t feel anything?

Azrael’s lips parted and his eyes shot away from Avery’s for a moment as he tried to think of how to answer such questions. 

“I...” He began, his fingers tightening around her own, “I… I can’t answer those questions.”

Avery felt her heart sink into her chest at his answer, but she bit her lip and continued.

Please… please tell me.

Azrael tugged at Avery’s hand, this time with much more strength, and managed to pull her grip from his shirt. He placed her hand on the bed and stood, taking a few steps towards the door.

Azrael could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He had made a promise to himself on the trip here that he would not let their relationship become anything more but here she was, begging him to confess his longing to kiss her. It was so selfish of him, all of this was selfish. Everything from having her sign the contract to wanting to kiss her is selfish. I know it so why do I...

He turned back to her, the same pained look in his eye.

“I...” He began, only to be cut off by Avery’s whispered voice.

“If you wanted to kiss me at the party, then kiss me. That’s… That’s an order...”.


	37. Chapter 37

Azrael’s heart stopped and he stared dumbfounded down at the girl who laid motionlessly on the bed. His eyes scanned over her, noting the red around her eyes and the streaks in her makeup. He recognised the hazy look in her eyes and the droop of her eyelids as she gazed back at him, half-conscious. Perhaps if it were any other night... Perhaps if it were under other circumstances…

Azrael brought his lower lip between his teeth as he glanced away from her for a moment. She was really trying to make this as difficult as possible for him. 

“I did want to kiss you at the party” Azrael admitted in a low voice, taking in a long breath, “I have wanted to kiss you since the moment I saw you standing in that golden dress...”.

Azrael paused, turning back to Avery. He had forced a serious expression onto his face, but inside his heart and head were fighting over what he should say next. 

“If it had just been any other night… I-”. 

Avery could do nothing but gaze up at the handsome demon that stood with glowing eyes in front of her. He did want to kiss me afterall… she thought happily, her lips curling slightly at the corners. It had only taken a minute for her body to begin to feel heavy enough that she felt as though she was sinking into the mattress. Her vision spun and twirled slowly as she watched Azrael above her.

He couldn’t bring himself to let Avery make this decision as she laid there clearly still very intoxicated. She was in no mindset to be able to realise just what such an action could do to her, to recognise how stupid it would be to get involved with a demon; with him. 

Azrael took a deep breath, “If you remember this in the morning... and you still want to kiss me, Avery... I won’t hesitate”.

Deep down, Azrael hoped that she would remember this in the morning. If she did, he would take back everything he had said about making sure that she didn’t get any more attached to him. He wouldn’t hold himself back. He didn’t want to. 

If she doesn’t though, Azrael thought, feeling his chest sink as he turned and strode towards the door, I promise not to let her get any more involved with me.

“Goodnight and sweet dreams…”

Her voice was barely a whisper behind him as he gripped the handle and pulled the door open. It was only a brief glance back, but as he saw Avery’s crystal blue eyes flutter shut behind him, he felt a sense of guilt once again. 

_____

Azrael had closed Avery’s bedroom door, and within a fraction of a second he was standing on the pavement across the street from her house.

The street lights dimly lit the old picket fences and grassy front yards with a gentle glow as Azrael wandered to the lamp post and leant against it in vexation. He already knew that Avery would not remember any of what happened in the morning, not after the amount of alcohol she had drunk. Perhaps that was why he gave himself an ultimatum. It meant that if he regretted this decision, he could convince himself that it didn’t happen because of Avery’s memory - or lack thereof.

A gust of cold wind blew past Azrael and he sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his head backwards so that it would rest against the pole.

“Why the gloomy face, Az?” 

The deep mocking tone had come from the shadows of the tree behind Azrael.

“That’s none of your business” Azrael replied in exasperation.

There was a low chuckle, “Oh… no need to be like that. I was listening, ya know. I don’t know why you didn’t kiss your little pet… She was practically begging you too”.

Azrael straightened himself and turned towards the voice, slipping his hands into his pockets. 

The figure stood almost pure black, leaning against the tree, it’s red glowing eyes and wide grin casting Azrael an amused look.

“She saw you today, you know” Azrael accused, “I thought you said that you wouldn’t go near her again”.

“I just wanted to see the human that’s got you acting so strangely lately…” The figure smirked, “But let’s not change the topic shall we? I hope you know that you’ll get punished for disobeying her direct order. Surely you didn’t forget”.

“I am aware”.

“And yet you still refused to complete such an easy task?”

“Yes”.

The grin that had remained on the figure’s face shrunk into a smile, “I did warn you, Az. There are reasons why contract demons won’t usually target human’s like her”.

Azrael clenched his jaw, “I know”.

“Well, you know how badly this will end for her” The figure pushed himself from the trunk of the tree, taking a step away from Azrael, “And… how badly this can end for you”.

Azrael didn’t have a response this time. He had been aware of the risks from the beginning and he didn’t want to be reminded. Especially now that he was only realising just how real they were. 

Without another word the dark figure vanished into thin air.

_____

Avery grumbled as a bright strip of light from the window flashed over her face, pulling her out of her deep sleep. With a disgruntled expression, she began to roll onto her stomach only to feel her stomach lurch uncomfortably and the need to vomit overcoming her.

Avery was on her feet in seconds, ignoring her dizziness and lack of ability to walk straight as she stumbled towards the door. She grasped the handle just as she felt her throat begin to heave the contents of her stomach upward and pulled harshly, quickly realising that her door was locked. 

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she hastily turned the lock and swung the door open, dashed across the hallway into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. She had only just fallen onto her knees in front of the toilet as a waterfall of pink liquid fell from her lips. 

A few minutes later and after having many regrets about the previous night's actions, Avery pushed herself back against the bathroom wall and brought her hands up to her head, only now realising just how big a headache she had.

Why on earth did I decide to drink that much alcohol again? She wondered as she pressed two digits into each of her temples. She had asked herself that question rhetorically and it took her a few moments before she remembered, pink quickly crawling back onto her cheeks. Azrael he… 

Avery remembered precisely what had happened in the bedroom upstairs; the almost-kiss that she and the dark-haired demon had shared. How could I have forgotten something so… She clapped her hands against her face in embarrassment before running her hands up through her hair. 

Avery clenched her eyes shut, trying to rid her mind of the memory but finding it difficult. Why did he do that… he- and then… Avery’s expression relaxed and with a detached expression she stared blankly at the cold off white tiles below her feet, but what happened next?

She sat motionlessly on the floor for a few minutes trying to recall the memories. She remembered going back downstairs where she saw Sadie and then dancing but after that there were only snippets; visions that she wasn't quite sure were real or just made up by her own imagination.

Avery had forgotten about her makeup until she brought her hands into view of her face and saw the smudges of foundation and mascara staining them. Slowly Avery stood, stepping up to the mirror to view her face. 

It was awful. The very first thing that she noticed was the streaks that had run her eyeliner down her cheeks and the clear lines where tears had cut through the foundation. When did I cry? She wondered, horror struck. Did anyone see me like this? Did Azrael… The dreadful sense of embarrassment returned as Avery stared at herself in disbelief. 

Avery spent the majority of a well-needed shower trying to piece together the fragments of memory that she had after dancing with Sadie. She remembered throwing up in the front yard of the house and seeing Azrael standing across the road. She remembered standing in the front yard of her house and looking down at the grass. Then there was her last memory of the night… watching as Azrael gazed down at her as she laid on the bed.

She stepped out of the shower with a sigh, feeling like she had made no progress at all and pulled a towel around her. Regardless of whatever stupid and embarrassing things that she could have said or done though, there was one saving grace; Azrael would been with her the entire night so he should be able to tell her everything that had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I actually wasn't uploading the story here for a while simply because it didn't seem to be getting many reads/kudos/comments so please do let me know if you are enjoying the story and you want me to continue to post here. Otherwise you can find it on Wattpad and Quotev!
> 
> \- SNipp


	38. Chapter 38

After throwing up, her headache and stomach pains had somewhat subsided. Here and there a mild stinging sensation would begin in her forehead and travel throughout her body, but she didn't want that to stop her from doing at least one productive thing before the weekend was over.

Avery had thrown her damp hair into a messy bun and changed into some pyjamas before climbing back into her bed, laptop and book in hand. While she did want to ask Azrael what had happened the previous night, she wasn't sure if she was mentally prepared to hear what he would have to say. That, and she had more pressing things to attend too.

She only had five days left until she had to turn in Miss Edal's religion assignment and she wanted to at least start on it. 

Avery made herself comfortable amongst her pillows and opened a word document, typing in bold letters at the top; Contract Demons.

Hitting space twice, Avery gazed at the blank document for a moment. She still remembered what little information Miss Edal's book had about contract demons and in the hopes of finding more information, she opened a google page and typed in 'contact demons'.

Avery clicked on multiple links, each time becoming more and more discouraged by the lack of detailed information about contract demons. After ignoring the multiple sport related 'demon' team mascot links and Wikipedia articles which drew information from movies and television shows, Avery was left with next to nothing.

She knew that the writers of these blogs had no idea what a real contract demon was like. Azrael didn't ask for her soul in exchange for a favour, nor did he have pure-black eyes or stood at a crossroads to make deals with passing strangers. 

Avery had spent the better part of an hour before she began to reevaluate her topic choice. She didn't like the idea of writing her assignment with nothing but misinformation and inaccuracies. Especially when she knew better than any of these online writers, what a real contract demon was like.

With a sigh she raised her hands above her head and stretched, glancing across to Miss Edal's book which laid on the blankets beside her. It was as her eyes gazed at the curly silver letters indented into the black cover that she had a thought. 

She snatched the book up from its place and after checking the contents page to remember roughly where the 'contract demon' sub-section was, she flicked through the pages until she once again found page 167. 

It wasn't information about contract demons which Avery was searching for though, instead she was looking for the books and authors that Miss Edal had sourced in her work. She read;

'... more reliable sources such as Monica, Carnes and Delagore in the 2001 book 'Demon's Diversity' and Demetre, Finely and Edwards in the 2007 book 'Demon Specifics'...'.

It was because of these sources that Miss Edal went on to suggest that contract demons offer their slavery in exchange for the human life-span; not the human soul. That meant that not only did these authors seem to know what real contract demons are like, they also had entire books dedicated to these topics. Books that with any luck, would have more information about contract demons.

With a couple of glances at the text, Avery typed in the first of the two books, 'Demon's Diversity 2001 by Monica, Carnes and Delagore' and hit enter. The image of a plain covered book with a small hand-written title appeared beside a paragraph of text.. 

‘Demon’s Diversity, published in 2001 by Monica, Carnes and Delagore explores the many types of demons known in demonology, their purpose, abilities, and position in accordance with the demon hierarchy. This book has been made accessible publicly on ‘The Demonology Archive’, a website dedicated to discussing and uncovering the truth about demon mythologies’. 

Avery smiled as she saw, 'TheDemonologyArchive.com.au > Demon's Diversity, Monica, Carnes and Delagore (2001)' a few links below the image, and she clicked onto the page.

The website looked rather old. It was coloured in dark red and black colours and gave off the impression that it was run by a group of conspiracy theorists. Nonetheless, Avery had a feeling that this was the place that she would begin to get more answers. 

The plain covered book she had seen when she searched for 'Demon's Diversity' had appeared on the right of the page, below that, what looked like a contents page. 

Introduction 

1\. Lucifer Page 3

2\. First Demon (Sins) Page 7 

3\. Punishment Demons Page 15 

4\. Torture Demons Page 20

\- Physical Illness Demons Page 22

\- Mental Impairment Demons Page 26

5\. Contract Demons Page 29

6\. Possession Demons Page 34

7\. Slave Work Demons Page 38

8\. Warfare Demons Page 49

Avery took a short breath as she hovered her mouse over 'contract demons', hoping that whatever she was about to read would be more informative than the other websites she had already tried. 

It was not at all what Avery was expecting.

Instead of cleanly typed text, the image of page 29 looked to be the picture of a notebook with small cramped cursive writing inked messily across the page. Avery began to read;

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Monica, 12th August 1985.

The first question most people would ask is under what circumstances is a human able to create a contract with a demon?

While there is ways to summon a contract demon, it is up to the demon whether they create a contract with the human or not. Contract Demon's seem to pick choose human subjects based on a variety of reasons. The first is simply because the human has some kind of greed and thus tend to spend their life carelessly for the things that they want. The next is because the demon, for one reason or another, believes that the human will offer them some entertainment in an otherwise boring job. Lastly, the main reason for my contract; that the demon agrees to partner with the human under less strict contract guidelines so that they are able to keep a relatively high level of free will.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Avery's eyes narrowed as she read the last line of the paragraph again under her breath.

"The main reason for my contract..."

Did that mean that this person, Monica, had a contract with a demon? 

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

The contract, which describes the conditions to which the demon is contracted to the human, says that rather than losing your soul, the contracted human agrees to lose their lifespan at twice the rate as usual while under the contract. This means that after this first day is up, I would have lost two days of my life rather than one. The human can also bargain with their life in order to get things they otherwise couldn't have; money, fame. 

One interesting concept that I'm forbidden to ask the demon about, is the existence of an 'agency' behind contract demons. It seems as though all benefits and rewards for creating these contract goes to the demon yet there seems to be is an overarching organisation that these demons belong to. What is it that the agency gets from these contracts?

The contract signed begins with a blood pact where the human activates a binding seal that is inked onto the demon's chest. I will continue to keep notes on my findings as my contract progresses. 

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Avery moved the mouse to click to the next page of what she now realised was a journal of a contract that occurred over 35 years ago.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Monica, 14th August 1985

Each contract demon has a different set of abilities. The demon to which I am contracted to, Belphagor, is a higher level contract demon and so, is capable of abilities such as possession and mind control; abilities that he says, most other contract demons are incapable of. As he is a higher level demon, he prefers to make contracts with humans that are happy to use him on a scheduled basis, so that he isn't trapped with that human until their death and/or the termination of the contract.

Belphagor, spent a lot of time today explaining exactly how the contract works;

A human can only request paranormal feats from a demon that their life-span can pay for. The example that the demon gave me, really helped to put this in perspective. He said;

Say somebody wanted to be rich. Using supernatural ability to make money appear would be easy, however there would be a price for the amount that was given. For the sake of this argument, imagine that every $1000 is worth a week of the human's life-span. The human requests $100,000 at the cost of 700 days of their life. That human then spends that money and comes back to request more money from the demon. 

Now, say that human only had three years remaining. He would be unable to make the second request for $100,000 as his current life-span would be inefficient. 

Now, keep this idea in mind as we look at murder.

Say the human requests for the demon to kill another human. That human would have to give up the equivalent of their life span in order to kill that other human. For example if someone with a year left to live, wanted to kill somebody with only 6 months left, it would cost six months of their life-span to murder that human. 

The same logic can be used under the circumstances of saving another humans life. You are able to extend somebodies life by transferring your life into somebody else. Obviously, this is a supernatural ability and so on top of your life being transferred to somebody else, there is also a toll to be paid.

There is a way around losing your own lifespan though; the sacrifice of another human life.

In this case the human who is contract to the demon does not lose any of their lifespan. There are a set of circumstances that need to be reached in order for this to work. The first is that the sacrificed human and the human in which you wish to murder/give life to, must be in the same room in order for the ritual to be complete. A deal must be made about the amount of extra life that you, the human wish to give to the demon in order for them to complete the ritual. Lastly, the blood of the two individual's need to mix together.

It is clear from what I have heard that demon's tend to go after humans who are vulnerable to making deals that require larger life-span purchases. This way, the demon is rewarded with the humans life-span and is able to quickly begin their next contract.

What I find interesting about this information is that it helps to explain why the 'Agency' exists, and what it might be that benefits them. I will discuss this more in my next entry. 

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

By the end of the long entry, Avery's mind was clouded with more questions. The author, Monica, had seemed to make it clear that contract demon's will only make contracts with humans that will spend life-span in bulk; thus not being trapped with unrewarding humans. This was obviously not the reality that Avery knew, she had even told Azrael before she had signed the contract that she would not spend her lifespan. He had told her then, that he had chosen her because he knew she wouldn't.

Unless, Avery thought, a sense of hollowness falling over her, Azrael had chosen me for entertainment... but surely that wasn't the case, right?

Avery shook her head, dismissing the thought. She had already decided that Azrael didn't have any bad intentions. He knew she wouldn't be spending her lifespan, and he never tried to force her to do anything. Questioning her trust in him now would get her nowhere, and so she decided not to think to hard on it, moving her mouse with the intention of clicking to the next page.

Bang!

Avery startled as her bedroom door burst open with a loud bang as it hit the door stopper behind it. 

"Susan just sent me a message asking me to tell you that she's working late again tonight" Avery's dark-haired sister Gwen announced gruffly, "I know you're a loner, Ave, but check your damn phone more so I don't have to come in here and give you the stupid message".

Avery stared at her sister for a moment, about to respond before her eyes drifted to the boy that had just stepped into view. Maverick leant against the door frame, that same uncomfortable lop-sided smile plastered across his face as his eyes glanced around her room in curiosity.

"S-Sorry..." Avery muttered, reaching to take her phone which was sitting on the table beside her bed. 

"God, you're so useless" Gwen grunted, turning and walking back out of the room. 

Avery had chosen not to look back up at either intruder as she heard Gwen grasp the door and throw it shut again behind her. The slam letting Avery know that she once again was alone.

As she pressed the screen of her phone, it lit with two messages. The first was from her mother simply telling Avery that she would once again be home late. The second, from Sadie;

'Hi Babe, I hope you had a good time last night and aren't too hungover! Azrael told me that he was taking you home. I know that you too fought but I hope that you were able to talk it out. I'm a little busy today and don't have time to come and pick up my make up, I'll find time during the week to come and get it!'

Avery had smiled upon seeing the message but as she read about the 'fight' she and Azrael had, she was reminded of what she did remember from the bedroom upstairs, and everything that she didn't remember following that. 

Glancing over to the clock on her side table she realised that in her studies, two hours had already passed her by. 

Avery sighed, I can't put off talking to Azrael forever.


	39. Chapter 39

Avery lowered her phone, her eyes settling once again on the journal entry that had filled her head with so many more questions than it answered. Strangely, although there had been much said about killing another human, that wasn't what had caught Avery's interest. Instead, it was the way the author described how the human life-span is spent.

Avery pressed her finger to the track pad of her computer and scrolled back up the curly, slanted handwriting, searching.

'A human can only request paranormal feats from a demon that their life-span can pay for'

Did that mean that a demon is aware of the contracted human's lifespan? Avery clenched her teeth together as she tried to reason any other explanation from the writing. They would have to know, she thought, otherwise they wouldn't be able to make deals.

Avery suddenly found herself wondering why this had never occurred to her before. If this was the case that Azrael would know how much life-span Avery had left.

Curiosity began to spark within Avery, and she considered for a moment whether or not she should ask Azrael about this. She was, during this contract, giving up twice the amount of life-span than a human typically would.

Avery sighed as she bookmarked the journal entry and closed the tab, revealing the still-empty word document. As her laptop turned off, she caught a glimpse of her face reflected in the black screen and a feeling of unease washed over her. 

Even If Azrael did know how much longer she had left to live, did she really want to find out? First because knowing how much longer you had left to live felt to Avery more of a slow-burning anguish than a comfort. Second, because Avery wanted to assume that Azrael chose her knowing that she had plenty of time left to be happy. That was what he had told her the night he had first appeared in her room; 'Just imagine a life where you are happy... all I ask for is a little bit of your time'.

It was with difficulty that Avery tried to rid her mind of the thoughts of her life-span depleting. 

She picked her phone back up from the blankets and opened Sadie's message, typing out a quick response before crawling out of bed. Her stomach still squirmed slightly as she moved around but she was glad that that horrid need to throw-up hadn't returned. 

As much as she knew that putting it off wouldn't change anything, Avery didn't want to summon Azrael just yet. Even though she had seen him before during the day, something about seeing him in daylight felt strange.

It was as Avery left her room with the intention of seeking something to eat, that she heard Gwen and her friends chatting loudly down the hall. Perhaps, the reason she didn't want to call him during the day, was because he was her little secret. Well, at least for the rest of this night.

_____

Avery occupied the last few hours of daylight sitting at her desk and drawing in her sketchbook. Pencil lead had stained the bottom of her right hand as she moved her pencil across the paper, stealing glances at the open window every few minutes as she waited for the last orange hues of dusk to fade away. 

Avery took in a short breath as she leant forward onto her knuckles and glanced down at the light coiling lines that covered the vast majority of the page. This drawing of Azrael was much different from the picture Avery had first drawn. The first time she had drawn him, it was as she had seen him leaning against the wall across the school yard; dark hair and shadows darkening his features. This image, was much lighter in tone. The lines were gentle and flowed elegantly throughout the image. Rather than a demon, Avery thought, here he looked more like an angel.

Avery stole one more glance at the window which now overlooked a dark street before she closed her sketchbook and stood up from her desk. 

She had been putting off calling Azrael all day long but she couldn't put it off any longer. More pressing than the forgotten memories from the previous night was the fact that beginning tomorrow Azrael was supposed to be starting at Lakeshore High. It was important that Avery knew what to expect.

Avery took a deep calming breath as she took a seat on the end of her bed and clasped her hands together in front of her, glancing around her darkened room which was lit only by the lamp on her desk. Why is this always so hard to do? Avery thought, feeling slightly embarrassed as she parted her lips to call his name.

Before Avery even had the chance to let Azrael's name slip through her lips though, a cold, familiar breeze swept through her.

She sat still, glancing from one corner of her room to the other and waiting to hear Azrael's voice give away his position.

"You called?" 

Avery jumped slightly before she turned to look over her shoulder.

Azrael sat, his back against the wooden bed frame, his cheek resting in his hand. For a brief moment, his expression held a hint of satisfaction before his lips pressed into an impassive line.

"I... um..." Avery mumbled, shifting slowly so that she knelt at the end of her bed, facing him. Avery hadn't really thought about where to start this conversation. She wasn't even sure she wanted to hear what silly things she had done while completely taken over by alcohol. However, her not remembering what she did wouldn't mean Azrael would forget; nor anybody else that bore witness for that matter. 

"So, you called me here to fill in the blanks of last night?" Azrael queried, his head tilting ever so slightly to the side.

Avery glanced the blanket below her and nodded, feeling of sense of regret begin to sink within her. Though, she wasn't sure quite yet what exactly she was regretting. 

Azrael studied Avery for a brief moment before he took a short breath and said, "First, tell me what you remember".

Avery gave Azrael a quick glance before her gazed lowered once again, thinking.

She remembered sitting in the room with Sadie, Scott, Hayden and Azrael playing two lies and a truth. Stumbling into the backyard and talking to Ethan and the conversation that they had had about Paige. She remembered being dragged upstairs by Addison, and learning about her picture in Ethan's journal. Then there was Azrael...

Avery flushed a light pink as her fingers curled into the fabric below her. With the heavy thump of her heart, Avery recalled Azrael hugging her, dragging his finger tips up her back and tilting her lips upwards towards his. 

Azrael took a deep breath and Avery glanced up to him. His lips were pursed together tightly, and his arms were now crossed over his chest.

Avery could tell in an instant that Azrael had been listening to her thoughts. This time though, she was glad that he had been. That way she wouldn't have to recall those upstair memories aloud.

"I remember, dancing with Sadie..." Avery finally began aloud, "I remember throwing up outside, and then seeing you across the road and-".

Avery paused as her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. It wasn't until now that she had remembered the way Azrael had impossibly been in two places at once.

Azrael's eye narrowed as he waited for Avery to continue. 

"You... You were in two places at one? I saw you across the road... And then you- "

"Do I have to remind you again that I have supernatural abilities?" Azrael interjected, raising an eyebrow. Avery's eyes shot up to Azrael's and she frowned.

"But... You waved at me across the road... and then suddenly you had grabbed me and yelled at me for trying to leave the party..."

"I didn't wave at you" Azrael responded, his usual calming tone replaced now by something stern, serious. "You must have been too drunk". 

Avery parted her lips to challenge Azrael but then she decided against it and her eyes shifted away from his, now a little disgruntled. Azrael's silhouette waving at her from across the road was one of the clearest memories that she had after dancing with Sadie. It was the kind of wave that you give someone who you are just about to greet, had she misinterpreted it somehow?

"What else do you remember?" Azrael interrupted Avery's thoughts. 

With a short undecided glance Avery pushed the memory from her mind and tried to remember what happened after that.

"I think we must have left because I don't remember anything else at the party. I vaguely remember standing on some grass, and then we were in my room".

A silence fell over the pair as Avery's eyes found Azrael's again and she watched him, waiting for him to speak.

Azrael held a steady gaze as he waited for there to be something more, anything more. His eye flickered from Avery's left eye to her right, trying to make sure that there wasn't any memory she was keeping from him. Surely, if there was, it would be impossible for her not to think about. 

It was several moments before Azrael clenched his jaw together, accepting the fact that Avery didn't remember anything else. A fact that he knew he would have to come to terms with, but one he was, deep down, hoping he wouldn't have to acknowledge.

Azrael swallowed before he began, "I saw you about to try and cross the road towards me. You were too drunk to be doing anything let alone wondering around the street so I stopped you. I put you in the car and then went back into the party to tell your blonde friend that I was taking you home. I then put you to bed, and that's all that happened".

Avery had been watching Azrael's almost indifferent expression as he told her what had happened, and as he finished Avery pursed her lips together in discontent. Surely there was more too it than that, right?

"When I woke up this morning, it looked as though..." Avery paused, feeling her cheeks heat in embarrassment, "... as though I had cried".

"You did cry"

"But, why?"

"I don't know" Azrael began shortly, but upon seeing Avery's lips part with obvious intention to interrupt him he quickly added, "It was hard to understand what you were saying through sobs, and I thought you would prefer I not read your mind" he lied.

Avery thought about this for a moment before she closed her lips and pouted. He was right, even though she didn't know why she had cried, she was glad that at the very least, neither did Azrael.

"And... there was nothing else that happened?" Avery questioned anxiously, sure that there must be something that he was was leaving out; something that he didn't want to say.

"No" Azrael answered without hesitation, "Nothing else".


End file.
